Year Three Part One: Journeys
by Mistress of Sarcasm
Summary: After the Light, everyone comes back after the summer hoping for a calm, quiet year. But the storm has broken and the winds are changing, and at the eye stands Jaden Yuki, poised and ready to fight. Things aren't over by a long shot, and sometimes, one must fall in order to fly.
1. Beginnings

Warnings: We're diving right into this thing. So hold on, boys and girls, because this road promises to get real rocky real quick!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" Hey, are you okay?"

" ..."

" He-loooo?"

" ..."

" Hey, are you ignoring me or are you seriously that out of it?"

" ..."

" _Alexis!_"

" Hmm, what?"

" Jesus Christ, welcome back to Earth, sis. What were you doing up in space?"

" What are you talking about?"

" You were, like, floating somewhere beyond the stars!"

" Poetic."

"Your sarcasm wounds my sensitive soul. Seriously, you were _gone_. What were you thinking about?"

" Nothing in particular."

" Bull. No one gets that deep in thought that they ignore the awesome me!"

" You've been watching _Hetalia_ again, haven't you?"

" When a friend sends a link, it's polite to take a look at it!"

" So you're saying Jay's to blame?"

" Entirely."

" I'm still gonna hold you responsible."

" You're mean Sissy."

" And you should be used to it by now. You've been my brother for most of your life."

" Ah, to be young and an only child again."

" You were 18 months old, I doubt you remember much."

" Yeah, yeah. Back to my original question, are you okay?"

" ..."

" Well, _answer_. It's the least you can do for ignoring me like that."

" Atty..."

" Come Alexis, I know something's up, so spill."

" It's nothing Atty, I'm just tired."

" Lexi, I may have only been your brother for _most_ of _my _life, but I've been it for _all_ of _yours_. I know when something's going on. Now talk."

" Seriously, Atty, you're reading stuff into it. I'm just tired."

" Why don't I believe you?"

" Because you're a naturally suspicious person with trust issues?"

" ...You're _hilarious_."

" I know I am. Honestly, this is all in your head. You're probably just-"

" It's not in my head! You've been tense ever since we started heading back to DA!"

" –still just jealous that I got to go to France and you didn't."

" _It wasn't fair!_ The City of Love was _wasted_ on you! All you did was _eat_!"

" French food is the food of the gods. This is not up for discussion."

" Thousands of gorgeous guys and girls with sexy accents when they try to speak English, and you were distracted by a _crepe stand_!"

" A crepe stand that sold damn tasty crepes."

" An entire wedding party of sexy, sexy French people, and you spent all your time fawning over the _pastry chef_!"

" She was a damn good pastry chef."

" Argh! Why did you get to go? I would've made so much out of that kind of opportunity!"

" I think that's why Lia didn't invite you. She didn't want your DNA in half of her people."

" Pssh. _Half_."

" ...I can't tell if you're laughing at the idea of you being able to sleep with half the population of France, or if you're laughing at the idea that you would _only_ sleep with half."

" I am a man of mystery, dearest little sister."

" Yeah, let's keep it like that, okay?"

" So mean."

" Look, I sent you pictures. I brought home videos. I _updated Facebook every day_. What more do you _want_ from me?"

" Plan A."

" Atticus, you were _not_ going to fit in my carry-on."

" Plan B, then."

" Or my suitcase."

" Plan C?"

" I was _not_ telling airport security that you were a life-size dummy. I just..._no_.

" And that is why you are a terrible sister. If _I_ was going to France, and you wanted to come, I'd lie to airport security and tell them you were made of plastic."

" Darling Big Brother, if you were going to France, I would be doing one of two things: I would already be going along with you to act as a chaperone-"

" Wait, why do _you_ get to go all by yourself, but I need someone to babysit me?"

" –_Or_ I'd be running as fast as I could in the opposite direction to avoid the mentally scarring. And Atticus, do you _really_ want me to answer that?"

" Yes?"

" Well, let's start being bringing up that family trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Games, and you-"

" I was _five and a half!_"

" And that poor street vendor will never be the same, now will she?"

" You know what, I take it back. Don't answer the question."

" I knew you'd see it my way. You always do."

" That's because when I don't, you dangle me off cliffs by my ankle."

" Oh, _one_ time! And you wouldn't listen when I told you that I didn't want to sing!"

" You didn't have to _dangle me off a cliff!_"

" Sometimes it's the only way to get through to you!"

" _A cliff Lexi!_"

" Oh, suck it up, you big cry-baby."

" _You still owe me for that!_"

" Atticus."

" _What?_"

" You're scaring the other passengers."

" _Wha-_oh. ...Heh, heh. Sorry?"

" And this is why we never bring you anywhere. You can't behave yourself."

" Can too!"

" As evidenced by that little outburst."

" Whatever."

" And now you're pouting like a five-year-old. In fact, you look an awful lot like you do in that picture from Van-"

" _Moving on_."

" ...Spoilsport. How come _you_ get to talk about stuff that happened to me, but when I try, it's a different story."

" I'm the older brother. I'm supposed to embarrass the living hell outta you, and in retaliation, you annoy the shit outta me. There is a system, Lexi."

" Or I could just dangle you off of cliff until you stop."

" That works too. Oh hey! I can see Duel Academy on the horizon!"

" Hmmm?"

" Yeah, see? There's Academy Island and there's the main building and-hey!"

" What?"

" There you go again, getting all tense! What's the deal?"

" Look, it's just...with everything that went on last year..."

" Oh, come on Lex, it'll be fine. We won, the Light's gone, and everything is back to normal. Besides, if anything happens, I'll look after you."

Alexis smiled at her big brother's encouraging eyes, and turned to look out the window of the massive helicopter to avoid him seeing the doubt in hers. She'd had secrets from Atticus before – what sister didn't keep some things from her brother?- but nothing like this. The memory of the white mass, hovering above them all, speaking in a voice that made their ears bleed, still haunted her sleeping hours. She dreamed of being weightless and trapped at the same time, all the weight of the universe pressing down on her chest as her ribs threatened to collapse into her lungs. She'd woken up in a cold sweat, panting, more often than she'd like to admit, over the summer.

There were moments when she was eternally grateful that Atticus' room was at the other end of the house.

Still, as Alexis started down at the growing Duel Academy without really seeing it, she felt an uncharacteristic stab of fear go through her. The school no longer seemed like a welcoming, if exciting, place. There were dangers beyond her comprehension, beings that existed outside of the realm of her reality that could squash them all like insects if they so chose, and the only thing standing between humanity and total destruction was-

No.

Her eyes drifted closed and her fingers brushed over them.

No, Jaden didn't stand alone. No matter what, no matter the monster that came or the god that rumbled, Jaden wouldn't stand alone on the front line. She'd be there, right next to him, along with everyone else.

Alexis touched her eyes again; another secret to keep from Atticus. She loved her brother dearly, but he was more broken than he let on, and knowing that his baby sister was prepared to go into battle would destroy him. She could never tell him what had happened that day in the White Dorm; she could never tell him what she had become.

There were certain truths Alexis understood about the world that she'd been blind to before the previous year, and one of them was that for the rest of her life, it wasn't going to be Atticus who was the protector. He hadn't been able to save her from the Light the previous year, and she was grateful. She had _eyes_ now, and no matter what Exitium had commanded in those last few seconds of madness before It retreated, Alexis wouldn't give into despair. She'd use her new eyes and she'd find It wherever It hid.

_Know me in all my forms_, the Light of Destruction had said to her, and Alexis intended to do just that.

' That's right.' She thought as the helicopter began its descent. Beside her, Atticus was babbling inanely, obviously trying to soothe her frazzled nerves, but unaware of what was really bothering her. The chasm between her and her brother grew just a little larger, though he was less aware of it than her.

She touched her eyes again.

' I am Alexis Lightslayer. So bring it on, universe.'

* * *

" Well, what's go'cha in such a tizzy, mate?"

Jesse looked up, startled.

Jim Cook grinned good naturedly at the younger boy out of his one green eye. Jesse could remember blinking at the sight of the South Academy student, and wondering how he'd gotten such an injury to the other. One quarter of the boy's face was covered in bandages, though he often tipped his hat down to try and hide them. Another part of Jesse wondered if the wound was recently acquired, or if it was an old injury that liked to flare up. But the part of him that had had manners hammered in balked at the idea of asking such personal questions of a man he'd known for all of a week. As it was, he was still embarrassed by the humiliating amount of staring he'd done when the students from the various sister schools had been introduced. He'd gawked at Jim like the older boy was a particularly interesting animal display at the zoo. It was incredibly rude, but Jesse hadn't cared because there was a guy with _one eye _in front of him. It wasn't until he'd gotten to his room later that he'd realized how awful he'd been.

He was still unsure of how to apologize, and had spent days avoiding Jim as a result.

As it was, he hadn't been expecting the older boy to descend on him, especially not when he was lost in thoughts of Duel Academy, and so his response left something to be desired.

" Wha?" Brilliant and witty as always. Somewhere, he was sure Ruby was laughing at him.

Jim's grin just got bigger, and he settled himself lazily onto the rail next to Jesse. He was very graceful, the Northern boy noticed. Jim hadn't once tripped or stumbled on the week-long trip from the rendezvous to Duel Academy, even when the ocean had gotten rough. He was always well-balanced and calm. He looked like nothing could faze him, ever. His presence was nice, even if it did remind Jesse of a star-spangled room and the Earth slowly turning below him and the vibrant force that was Jaden Yuki shining before him so brightly that it made the stars dim-

Oh.

" There ya go ag'in, frownin'. Summin's goin' on in tha' head o'yours, innit?"

Jesse stared hard at the water as it rushed by, made into waves by the white hull of the ship.

" It's just..."

" Just?"

Jesse shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. They were in something of a frenzy, whizzing from one end of his brain to the other too fast for him catch up. He got flashes; half-formed ideas, images out of context. Amethyst Cat's frantic eyes, Topaz Tiger's contemplative gaze turned on Jaden, the black between the stars getting deeper, Lia Shanner's haggard face, Jaden's hidden in shadow, his silence heavier than any speeches he could ever make, that awful, there-but-not-there, impossible-to-see-but-filling-up-his-entire-vision Light as It laughed and Its laugh was so much worse than anything that had ever existed before and it was in his ears and down his throat and squeezing his heart and in his mind, in his mind and _oh god-_

" Mate?"

Jesse abruptly came back to himself. Jim's hand on his shoulder was the grounding agent neither Amethyst Cat's nor Jaden's had been the previous year. It dragged Jesse out of his own mind and made him aware of his own body. He flexed the fingers he was gripping the rail with and in so doing, not only remembered that he _had_ fingers, but also that they were holding the rail so tight that they were almost all white.

He let go gingerly.

" You alroight?"

Before he could stop himself, Jesse shook his head.

" Ah...Ah mean, Ah'm not _not _okay but..."

His thoughts were going even faster now, the distant, hazy memory of that monster throwing the acceleration in his mind to its highest level. He was horrified to discover that he was shaking. And sweating. And panting. When had he started having a panic attack?

" Mate? Jesse? Ya look a li'l pale there. Best sit down, yeah?"

Jim guided him away from the rail and made him sit by the pool. Jesse took huge gulps of air, not even able to muster up his usual annoyance. Since discovering that he was the youngest member of the group on the ship (he and Axel were the same age, but Axel's birthday came earlier and even if the boy was as stoic as they came, Jesse could feel him lording it over the Northern boy with his eyes), the others had been teasingly attentive of him, treating him like he was a grade schooler, and not the fifth best duelist in the world.

Although, on that point, Jesse was pretty sure Mr. Pegasus could never have seen Jaden in action. Really in action. Black spaces between the stars and silver light action. If he had, then there was no way Jesse would still be fifth. Hell, he wasn't sure Aster would still be fourth. It wasn't that Jesse lacked faith in his dueling ability. He was good, and he knew that, and when (not if, _when_) he finally got to duel Jaden, he'd probably do just fine. If he had Rainbow Dragon in his deck, he might even win. But that was provided that he was facing the regular Jaden. The Jaden who laughed and smiled to drive away the despair, the Jaden who fell over while trying to untangle himself from hospital bed sheets. If Jesse fought that Jaden, then it would be a little more even. It would just be two boys with talent, dueling it out because it was just what they did.

Jesse never wanted to fight the Jaden that had faced the Light.

That Jaden...he wasn't _wrong_, although he _was_ terrifying, but there was something else. Something that made Cat answer to the name Vina, and Topaz Tiger look like he'd finally found the answer he'd been looking for. Something that had saved Alexis' eyes when they should've burned up in her skull. Something that had pulled the Light from Prince Ojin's body, and then commanded that It obey him after that last, brutal duel.

That Jaden wasn't wrong, but he was powerful.

And it was the kind of power that Jesse didn't think he could stand up to.

He knew that if he ever had to face that Jaden, he'd give up before the first turn. Because his instincts, when that Jaden showed up, told him not to fight and not to struggle, because this was not an enemy.

His instincts told him to drop to one knee, and bow before a king.

Jesse shivered.

" Betta?" Jim asked, still rubbing his back. Jesse felt a flicker of irritation go through him. He might be the youngest, but Jim was only a year older so where did he get off acting so cool?

He nodded.

" Good. Now wha' was _that_ about?"

Jesse bit his lip (oh god, now _he_ was picking up Lia Shanner's habits!), and looked at his feet.

" Ya ever hear stories 'bout Duel Academy?"

" Sum." Jim said, carefully casual.

" ...Ever hear th' bad ones?"

Jim stretched his legs out and leaned back on his hands. In the pool, though how Jesse had missed her before, he would never know, Shirley the Crocodile floated by lethargically, one yellow eye trained on Jim at all times.

" If ya mean th' ones 'bout the monsters comin' t' loife an' souls bein' sucked outta folks and all tha', then yeah. 'Ve heard 'em."

Jim tilted his head to the side to look at Jesse, who didn't quite meet that green gaze.

" Ya sayin' there's sum truth in all those furphies?"

" ...What?"

" Ya sayin' tha' it's not all furphies?"

" ..._What?_"

" Furphy." Jim frowned. " Ya know...untrue, a rumor."

" Oh." Jesse mirrored the frown. He still wasn't used to the Australian slang that peppered Jim's speech " Uh, no. Not realleh."

" Summin 'appen to ya?"

" What, at Duel Academy?"

" Well, mate, s'only you who's been 'ere before. So you would know."

Jesse paused. Shirley made another circuit of the pool. On the deck above, Adrian Gecko of East Academy (apparently located somewhere in, of all places, Luxembourg.) talked into a recording device like he thought no one could hear him, and eyed the pool longingly. Clearly, he would've liked to go for a dip, but with Shirley in there, he wasn't taking the risk,

" ...Stuff happens at Duel Academy." Jesse said, and then winced. Stuff. How mature and descriptive.

" Bad stuff?" Jim prodded.

" Yes an' no." Jesse looked towards the blue sky, watching as the clouds drifted overhead. " Ah mean, sho'. Summa it's bad; _Real _bad. Ah saw people have their hearts turned against 'em, and students gibberin' an' foamin' at the mouth unda th' weight o' tha' thahng, and that was a weight tha' felt like it was death itself. ...But..."

He trailed off, still staring at the clouds. An image, finally, settled in his head. A jewel-bright marble, as perfect as anyone of his cards, gleamed like a pearl in his mind.

" ...But it's beautiful too. It's hard, an' it hurts, but it's so beautiful." He didn't look at Jim, but he felt the wide and serious eye on him. " ...Ah saw th' Earth. Ah was floatin' in a sea o' stars, and the Earth was spinnin' under me. It was so beautiful tha' Ah forgot everythahng else for a little whahle. Ah coulda reach out my hand, an' Ah coulda touched th' universe."

He finally turned to Jim. Everything else in the world seemed to have stopped. The boat wasn't moving under them. The wind wasn't rushing anymore. Even the waves were quiet. All there was was him and his new friend, who was staring at Jesse like he'd descended from the sky. Jesse smiled a sad, wise smile.

" Bad thahgs happen at Duel Academy, Jim. But if y' can weather th' storm, what y'll fahnd at th' end is worth it."

And then he got up, leaving Jim to contemplate how to get Shirley out of the water and onto the gangplank without scaring the students already on Academy Island.

They had arrived.

* * *

I greet you, Forgers of Words.

No, seriously. Omigod you guys, omigod.

We're actually here! We're actually starting Year Three. This is what I've been building for since I started Year-verse. This is where it all falls apart and comes back together. This is where the questions I've given you get answered, and where the story gets turned on its head. This is where heroes fall, and demons rise. This is it, my beloved, beloved readers. THIS, right here, is what I've been waiting to get to.

Year One was figuring out how to ride the bike.

Year Two was getting ready to take the training wheels off.

And now, here we are. The gloves are coming off. Batten down the hatches and get ready - this storm's the likes of which you've never seen before.

I've decided to forgo the cutsey, funny intro that I did last Year, because it helps set the tone of Year Three: We don't stop. The storm broke last Year, but it's been gathering speed, and it doesn't wait for anyone. There's no time for an cute intro, not with the plot rushing ahead and the characters gathering. Season Three got started pretty quick in the original show, although I'll admit that I'm having a hard time getting them all to desert world. 16 chapters, and I still can't get them moving. Oh well. And I'm holding off on writing Yubel for a bit, because I want to do her justice. For the first half of the season, she's the boogieman under the bed, the vision haunting Jaden's nightmares. I want to keep that feel.

Also, speaking technically about Season Three, it is about TWICE the length of the other seasons at 48 episodes long, while the last seaon, Season Four, is about 24 or so. So I'm cutting some things. They make sense, don't worry, but don't expect everything - particularly in the build-up - to be in there. I can't handle all that bad dialogue, and the less I have to see of Adrian Gecko, the better. 'Hello. I am a Slimy Bastard'. Asshole.

But we're here, folks, we're here.

I'll try really hard to impress you all, because honestly? This right here is my baby. I love all my Year-verse, but Year Three is without a doubt my favourite. All of it. Parts One and Two.

So enjoy the relative calm and quiet of these first 20 or so chapter as they come, because once we hit the Desert world, it doesn't slow down and the punches don'y get pulled.

I'm off to write chapter 17! See y'all!

Jesse: Ya stole mah lahne!

Go choke on it, Anderson. And prepare yourself for the mindfuck that is Yubel.

Jesse: Oh GAWD _NO!_

Ah ha ha...I am going to _break_ him.

MoS


	2. Dreams

Warings: Annoying a cryptic Dream Sequence. We meet again, my old foe.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Jaden was sleeping.

That wasn't really a cause for alarm. Jaden spent a lot of time sleeping. A hard-working student he might be well on his way to becoming, but his preferred state was still one of lethargy and drowsiness, not quite asleep, but on the very fringes of it. He liked when he was just falling into a dream, one thread of him still connected to the land of waking, unaware but not lost from it. He liked it when he could feel the dream moving around him, sluggishly playing out in a way that made him move with it, but not it around him. He felt like he was in molasses right then, like the world had spun to the minimum speed it could go, and his thoughts came squeezing in like toothpaste being squeezed out of tube, slow and bulky and weighing him down...

_Frantically, he tried to raise his hands to his face, but found them bound at his sides as the substance thickened and became heavier, seeping into his clothes and wrapping around his body, molding itself into hardened, black coils that hung from his arms and legs like twisted, ripe fruit from a tree. Choking again, he tried to move his limbs, but the weight held them firm, hanging uselessly at his side. His lungs burned, but the grip of the strange blackness around him had not lessened, and his eyes watered under the thick limb laying over them._

_It smelled like a tomb, like a-_

_No. His mind whispered. No. Anywhere but here. Send me to any grave but this. I will not rest quietly here._

-but could be pulled out at any second, be pulled back into the world of the waking, never in any danger.

He hadn't gotten the chance to sleep much, the last year, and when he had, it had given him a trepidation surrounding dreaming that he'd never had before . Jaden, for lack of a better word, was afraid of his own dreams, because those he could remember from second year were not pleasant. Walls of not-white, jagged black rocks reaching out to cut him, the stain of blood, red as roses on his palm...

No, his dreams were no longer pleasant things. They were frightening spectres that haunted his sleep, and made him wary of his bed, something that had never happened before. He dosed if he could, or worked himself into such a state of exhaustion that his nights passed in a blink, no visions dancing before his eyes. If his aunt and uncle had noticed his sudden zeal in everything he did, they said nothing and, perhaps as a gift to him, told his parents nothing about his new habits. The only thing that stung about the summer had been Akimi's sad eyes. He'd been unable to meet them for the entirety of the two months. His time with his friends was strained, made heavy by the memory of not only the Light, but those gaps in his recollection, not empty but not filled either. He could remember the vague impression of a duel, a demand made in the echoing blackness of Neospace that showed him the world, Alexis' screams as her eyes threatened to bleed out of her head and then his own fingers washing the blood away...

With a sinking heart, Jaden realized he was doing exactly what Akimi had begged him not to.

He was getting too far ahead, and leaving them all in the dust. Akimi, Shin, Natsuki, even Fuyubi seemed so far away him, lost behind the silver veil that seemed to cloud his mind more and more. He'd spent more time than he'd ever care to admit, just sitting in his room and staring at his hands. It felt like they weren't even his anymore. They were someone else's hands, foreign objects at the ends of his arms. He was terrified everyday that he'd wake up in the morning and find himself somewhere he didn't know, dueling a person he didn't know, speaking words he would never use.

Or maybe not speaking at all. He'd been silent, almost entirely, in that final duel the previous year. He'd said only the bare minimum, at least until he'd made that demand in the wake of his victory.

_" I, the Victor of the Trial by Combat with the Manus Deletoris, do claim my prize." Jaden shook Sartorius. His knuckles were white. And if Aster's cries of horror were anything to go by, the blood sluggishly leaking out of Sartorius' tear ducts was not a pretty sight. The fact that the eyes were still burning, gone almost entirely white, only made it all worse._

_Jaden brought them face to face._

_" Here, as is my right won in the Trial, you will bow to my will. You will hear and obey this one command." All around them, the stars shone, gathering closer. The duo was flooded by silver light._

_" Your command, oh Victor?" The Light taunted. The stars hissed angrily in response. Jesse, Hassleberry, and Aster slapped their hands on their ears. Syrus squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look. His ears were already ringing so badly that he couldn't hear anything._

_" Leave." Those white eyes widened. " Leave this world, immediately. Surrender the hearts you hold back to those who had them first. Flee this world, and return to whatever plane or realm you prefer to slumber in. Our business is concluded."_

_" Oh," The Light purred, " I think not."_

_" Leave, Exitium." Jaden's voice was rough with anger. " You've done enough damage."_

_" Not hardly, but the rules must be obeyed. Very well." _

Aditus Trutinae. Manus Deletoris.

He'd looked them up when he'd gone home, mostly out f a morbid sense of curiosity (only not really. The words, those foreign and strange words sounded too familiar, too close to something that he already knew. The only problem was, he didn't know what he knew. He didn't know anything anymore. He didn't even know who he _was_. Fuyubi could call him her cousin and Chazz could call him his friend and Syrus could call him his Aniki, but at the end of the day, there was a schism in Jaden, something that split him right down the middle and had nearly torn him open before. He'd lost himself, some part of himself, some intrinsically, impossibly important part of himself and he didn't know if he could get it back. The world swam with vibrant colours before his eyes and everywhere he looked, the universe glowed for him in a way it never had before. It was comforting and terrifying all at once).

_Aditus_. Nominative singular. Gateway.

_Trutinae_. Genitive singular of _trutina_ – balance, referencing the scales of judgement.

_Manus_. Nominative singular. Hand.

_Deletoris._ Genitive singular of _deletor_. Destroyer.

He'd fought the Hand the Destroyer in the Gateway of Balance. That sounded kind of cool and kinda of lame all at the same time.

No, he'd engaged the Hand of the Destroyer in a Trial by Combat, whatever that meant. Maybe it was a fancy way of saying duel, but then why did he use it? Why not just say 'duel'? And why, oh god _why_, did those words, that phrase "_I, the Victor of the Trial by Combat with the Manus Deletoris, do claim my prize_" sound so official and foreboding?

" _I greet you."_

And what had _that_ been? That business with the bowing and the acknowledgement, though he could barely remember bobbing his head in response. What had happened to bouncing up and challenging an opponent? When had he gotten so serious? Yes, the situation had called for it and yes, Jaden didn't exactly regret beating the Light, but somewhere along the way some part of him had been taken in exchange for whatever it was that saved them all. That thing that was slumbering (but no, it wasn't slumbering, not anymore. It was awake, it had to be. It was awake and aware and where it had lent him power in first year it had taken him over in the last one. Perhaps, Jaden had pondered in the dim depths of his room in his empty house, it was simply that Jaden himself couldn't handle what the thing was. Perhaps he wasn't ready for it yet. All he knew was that he'd saved them all without ever really being there- or at least, in control- and it was freaking him out) had said so many weird things, not just to the Light, but to others as well. Jesse and his monsters especially, stood out in his mind like a flashing, red alarm.

" _There's power in words."_

Maybe that was the answer. Maybe that was what was behind the strange motions he'd gone through with his duel. Because as freaked out as he was, as far removed as he felt some days from being himself, Jaden acknowledged the fundamental truth in that phrase: There was power in words. Maybe the words themselves weren't powerful, but there _was_ power in them.

Belowski had told him something like that, what felt like a lifetime ago.

_" __You know, how like things don't have meaning until you give it to them. Nothing in the world means anything until you put some meaning into it. You know what I mean?"_

_" __Not really." Jaden shook his head, sliding down to crossed legs on the roof. Belowski sat up, stretched his arms out, and turned to look at Jaden out of sleepy, half-lidded eyes._

_" '__Kay, let me get you an example. Something close to home…" The boy trailed off in thought. " Got it! Take like, the colour scheme."_

_" __The what?"_

_" __The colour rankings they use at this place. Did you think red was bad before you came to Duel Academy?"_

_" __I don't think it's bad now."_

_" __You, m'man, are a rare breed. Everyone else just starts thinkin' of red as total shit, and blue as being the all powerful super colour. It's totally twisted, right? But that's what I mean. Nothing has meaning until you give some to it. So, s'far as I'm concern, Belowski means 'rockin' little dude'. Cool, huh?"_

Nothing had meaning until it was given to it.

The power in the words.

_" Memories...are almost as powerful as words. I invoke a memory with a word and that memory lends power to the word and that word becomes powerful. I invoke the power of the memory with the power of the word, but the word is only powerful because of the memory, while the memory can only give it that power because of the power of the word."_

Put the meaning into the word to make it powerful, but in so doing, do nothing more than invoke the intrinsic power of the word.

Jaden's head hurt, but somehow, it made sense. It was just almost impossible to explain in a way that fit into the way he understood things. It was almost like the Light all over again, massive and grand and too far outside of human comprehension to be truly understood. Jaden knew his friends hadn't been able to really see that great mass of white, but somehow, he had, only he couldn't really recall it. He could remember seeing it, but when he tried to call the image up, his mind refused to accept what it was showing him. The musing about the words was the same. It clashed with the way he saw and knew the world, but somewhere, at the very core of him, it made sense.

So Jaden had spent his summer puzzling and pondering, drawing farther and farther away from his friends and running himself ragged in the hopes of dreamless nights.

It wasn't alarming that he was sleeping.

It was alarming that Jaden Yuki was _dreaming_.

_There was a great ocean of sand stretched out before him, running miles and miles away from where he stood. The dunes rose and fell like the waves of an ocean, but instead of the steady, soothing motion the tide, there was a stillness that stole the breath from him. _

_There was no noise; not one single thing sounded in the vastness. The sky hung a sickly shade of deep green, black clouds crawling across it like worms burrowing their way through dirt. Against the pale pallor of the sand, the sky appeared to be darker than it actually once. He squinted his eyes as he looked over the dunes, their paleness reflecting a brightness back at him that hurt. The wind picked up, for a moment, kicking up a dust storm. His arms came to shield his face, the tiny grains leaving stinging marks as they hit his skin._

_He became aware of a terrible heat from somewhere up above. Looking towards the sky again, wincing as he got sand in his eyes, he located the source._

_Three glowing suns beat down on him where he stood, forming a triangle high, high above him._

_Memory exploded over him in a rush of images: A man, a woman, a dagger and a price. The gleam of a medallion, broken in two. A promise. The woman's sad eyes. People down on one knee, bowing to him._

_The threat of monsters looming overhead._

_A hissed warning, and the quiet death of a noble warrior._

_Regret and sacrifice._

_He'd been here before. Years ago, but the landscape had not changed and the heat of the suns beat down as hard as ever._

_This was-_

" _Jaden?"_

_A voice scattered his thoughts._

" _Jaden, why would you play with me?"_

_It was childish, bell-like. The high pitched whine of an ignored child who had yet to learn patience._

_It set his teeth grinding._

" _Don't you __**like **__me anymore?"_

_The sweat that trickled down the side of his face was cold, despite the heat of the suns overhead._

" _Don't you want to be with me anymore?"_

_That voice, that awful, wonderful voice! He knew it, he knew like he would have known his own reflection! But what was the name?_

" _I've missed you so much, Jaden. Why did you go away?"_

_It was on the tip of his tongue, gummed up with flashing images. The table, the cards, the silver-and-purple thing –_

" _Why did you __**leave**__ me?"_

_He hadn't, had he? Because to leave the owner of that voice would be a crime, wouldn't it? There had been a promise, there must've been, because he remembered the vaguest hint of sunset and the peak of a mountain, and vibrant, dual coloured eyes that looked right through to the heart of him._

" _Why did you __**abandon**__ me, Jaden?"_

" _Who are you?" He screamed at last, his voice almost lost to the wind that was whipping up around them. The suns had vanished behind a cloak of black clouds. The air was heavy. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, and the storm began to gather._

_Again._

" _You don't remember me? You don't even remember that much?"_

" _Show me your face!" His frustration made him bold, and he took a step forward. There were shadows of figures just beyond his vision, outside of the swirl of sand that had kicked up around him._

" _You might've forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten __**you.**__"_

" _Please!" He begged, hoarse at the throat. " Please, show yourself!"_

_But the only answer he received was the scream of the winds as the storm grew closer._

Jaden's eyes flew open as a weight pounced on his stomach.

" Omph!" The was forced out of his lungs. Gasping, he looked down, Winged Kuriboh fluttering worriedly around his head.

Ruby Carbuncle chirped merrily up at him.

" Ru-bi. Ru-bi ru-bi. Ru-bi bi. "

" _Of_ course." He groaned, flopping back down on the hard pavement beneath him. Ruby gave another happy chirp and set about making herself comfortable on his chest. Kuriboh puffed up in indignation.

" Is this just a thing with you now?" Jaden asked, not really put out by mildly disturbed. He'd just been forcibly reminded of why he didn't want to dream anymore. He frowned as he tried to recall where he'd seen the triple suns over the desert. He knew they were familiar, but he couldn't for the life of him remember from where. The images had faded to blurs, leaving only an overwhelming sense of guilt and foreboding.

' Then again,' he thought ruefully, ' these last coupla years have made me into a paranoid kinda guy.'

Ruby nuzzled his chin from where she was laying, yawned, and then stretched out before falling into a light doze. Kuriboh, seemingly forgetting about his vendetta against the other spirit, did the same by Jaden's shoulder. The boy looked at them both, and then pouted.

" Oh, now you're just mocking me." He grumbled, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. Ruby opened one jewel-bright, red eye to regard him, and then made a show of curling into a little ball.

" You think you're so cute, don'cha Ruby-girl?" Jaden reached up to scratch one of her ears lightly. As Ruby began to purr at the motion, Jade stared upwards at the blue sky, lost in thought.

' Three suns, I know I've seen that before. A desert...that's familiar too...but who did that voice belong to?' He shivered. ' And why does it scare me so much.'

Without realizing it, his eyes drifted shut.

' God, I guess it really _was_ too much to ask for to have the year start out normally. Nothing's ever normal around Duel Academy, is it?'

Ruby's breathing had evened out. Kuriboh's tickled his neck.

'I can't even catch a break on the first day back, can I?'

The cool pavement felt nice in contrast to the climbing sun.

' Thank God classes don't start until day after tomorrow. I don't think I could handle it.'

His head was starting to feel heavy, but he strained to hold off sleep. He didn't want another dream.

' Hell, I still don't think I'll be able to. I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this year.'

Something cool and soft pressed to his face. Jaden jumped with a yelp, and soft laughter sounded from above him.

" Guess who, sleepyhead?"

Though his eyes were covered, his mouth was not, and Jaden grinned.

" Jesse, get your hands offa me and then move your cat."

He could hear the frown in Jesse's voice when the other boy spoke.

" Jay, she has an extra set o' ears an' a great big gem on her tail. She ain't no cat."

" But she's still on me and preventing me from getting up."

" And how's that mah problem?"

Jaden grabbed one of Jesse's hands and yanked it off of his face so he could give a one-eyed glare.

" Because she's your monster and-w_hy _are you wearing a Blue jacket?"

" 'Cause it's mah colour?" Jesse offered cheekily, but Jaden kept glaring at him. " Alrahght, alrahgt, take it easy. Remember what Ah said last year? 'Bout the school get tagether?"

" Yes?"

" Well, it's happenin'. They just decahded ta shove us all inta Obelisk Blue."

" You mean once the paint job is finished."

" Yeah."

" ...Jesse?"

" Yes Jay?"

" Get your cat off me."

" She's not a cat!"

" But she's on me, and if you don't get her off, I will sick Kuriboh on you!"

" Ah'm shakin' in mah boots."

" You should be. He's got teeth under all that hair. He's a friggin' Langolier!"

" ...What?"

" Don't look at me like that, I went on a Steven King marathon this summer."

" ...whah?"

" Because it was either that or more Shoujo anime, and I couldn't take that. What happened to your shirt?" Jaden let go of the other boy's hands.

" Fahnally noticed, huh?" Jesse tugged at the rumbled shirt with a wry grin. " Ah met Lia down on th' dock with the rest o' the boys from th' sister schools. Ah...may have called her bah a certain nickname she's been known ta protest th' use o', especially in fronta strangers, an' well...it went about as well as could be expected."

" She tried to throttle you?" Jaden said knowingly. Jesse threw both of his hands up in the air, finally taking the second one off of Jaden's eye.

" Where does she git tha' much strength? She's _tahny!_"

" I'm finally taller than her." Jaden said, decided to cut his losses and carefully scooped Ruby into his arms so that he could at long last sit up. His back was starting to get sore. Jesse didn't seem to notice. "So, you and some other guys are here to tour the school or something?"

" O' sumthahn'." Jesse flopped down next to him. " The gahy in charge said some stuff 'bout 'testin' our limits' and the usual bullcrap tha' people lahke him lahke ta spout, but Ah didn't really pay attention. All Ah know is Professor Vahper's a hardass an' there's gonna be lotsa duels."

" Hmm." Jaden hummed. A year ago, the prospect would've had him jumping for joy, but the previous year had finally tempered his enthusiasm with caution. It all sounded innocuous enough, but then, so had a duel with Aster Phoenix. As eager as Jaden was to go out and duel the best of the best from the sister schools, he was still worried. After all, bad things happened at Duel Academy, one way or another.

" Speakin' o' duels." Jesse coughed, looking embarrassed and at his shoes. " Jay, Ah was wonderin'...Well, y'see...there's sumthahn' Ah need ta ask ya, an'..."

" Yes I'll go to the homecoming dance with you." Jaden deadpanned. Jesse, thrown off his game, blinked, and went bright red as the words registered.

" What?"

" Oh for-!" Jaden huffed. " It was a joke, Jess. A joke-laugh! Laugh with me!"

" Oh, rahght."

" You're still not over my payment to Akimi-chan, are you?" The Slifer asked suspiciously. Jesse glared.

" Ah thought we agreed nevah ta talk 'bout tha' again?"

Jaden smirked and eyed him.

" Akimi-chan wants to meet you."

" No way no how." Jesse deadpanned. " An' besahdes, tha's not what Ah wanted ta ask ya, so can ya be serious fo' lahke, ten seconds?"

Jaden settled Ruby onto his lap, pretending to think. Abruptly, he smiled.

" For you Jess, fifteen seconds."

" Ah'm honoured." The Northern boy took a deep breath. Jaden waited, starting to feel a little excited.

And waited.

And waited.

" Are you gonna ask me, or what?"

" Shut up! This is hard, okay?"

" What could possibly be this hard? Just spit it out. You're killin' me her-"

" Fahne!" Jesse leapt to his feet. Ruby, startled out of her nap, retreated to his deck. Jaden stared as Jesse shoved his loaded duel disk in front of him, green eyes hard but shining with anticipation.

" Jaden, Ah want ya ta duel me. Rahght now."

* * *

...

Stop writing them like that, Mos. Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it.

...

Well, I tried. WHOO-HOO SPIRITSHIPPING FTW!

...

Sorry. I'm sorry. Enjoy the platonic-ness (what little there is) guys. Remember, this Year has Yubel. And Yubel possessing Jesse. ...Think about it. And as much as I love you guys and want to please you...yeah, no, this part is totally for me and I make no apologies. I just...I really like them together. I don't just ship them because they're two cute guys together (though that is part of it. Lord knows, that's a part of it). I genuinely like the way they compliment each other, how they bring out the good and the bad in each other. I like how similar they are, and where they differ. I like the devotion they have to each that just seems instantaneous (sp?). I just...I like them together. I do.

Sorry, Spirishipping rant over.

So here's chapter 2. And more dream sequences. God, I'm a fan of those, aren't I? Part of it is me being lazy, I'll admit that. It's so much easier to copy and paste something from a past document than to sit there, banging your head against the keyboard, waiting for inspiration to hit and trying to figure out what someone should say at a certain time and how you want that one scene to go and-

Yeah, dream sequences. They move stuff along. But more than that, I put a lot of work into mine. I make sure there are actual symbols, maybe not ones you'd find in a dream analysis, but things that means something in the actual series and to the characters. Thunder as roars, signifying the connect to the Sacred Beasts, and how the gang now sees thunder and storms as heralding danger. And speaking of storms, the massive amount of storm imagery that gets tossed around. That's in the dreams. I like the dream sequences because they aren't just 'let's dream of the past' or 'here is the literal meaning'. There are things that stand for other things, and prophetic visions that don't always make sense.

And there's Yubel, being creepy. Because that's what Yubel does. Be creepy. Seriously, I'm in the Desert World Arc right now, and Yubel is creeping the shit out of me. And I'm safe in reality!

Let's see, what else?

Is that a flashback from Year One? Omigod, I remember Year One! Everything was nice and happy and _not fucked up_. ...I miss that. I mean, don't get me wrong, these characters ahve gotten more interesting, but man, are some of them hard to write now.

...

Dark World is going to be a BITCH, isn't it?

More about what Jaden was thinking during that last duel, and how he acted. I finally put in his perspective. And I got to mention his other friends, back in Japan. ...Which turned out to be a really depressing bit, great.

Is there anything else I wanted to tell you guys?

Oh, as of Chapter 21, we have managed to get to Desert World. And as of Chapter 40, we're still there. ...Why won't you let me _leave,_ story? It's not that exciting! I need to get to Dark World! I need to get to possessed Jesse and Haou! I need to get to-Oh, can't say that here, spoilers. *winks*

Well, enjoy this chapter because next week, the Jaden vs. Jesse duel begins. I built up Jesse's desire to duel Jay way to much to skip over it. I forget if it lasts two or three chapters, but it's more than one, that's for sure.

See you all next week!

MoS


	3. Meetings

Warnings: ...*squints* Is that.._Hassleberry_ introspective? ...What. Also, you asked for it! So more Lia! Enjoy, because this is gonna be way more lighthearted than the rest of her stuff!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_ or anything really. But I do own Lia. As much as anyone _can_ own anything on the Internet...That would make a really good paper...And I'm on my summer break, why am I thinking of paper ideas NOW?

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" Come out early, _he said_. It'll be fun, _he said_. We can hang out and everything'll be awesome, _he said._" Lia Shanner grumbled as she walked down the hallway towards the exit of the Yellow Dorm. "Atticus, when I get my hands on you, you're deader than a black guy in a horror movie."

How she'd been talked into coming back a day early, Lia wasn't sure. She suspected her cousins had conspired against her, as it had been Magda and her fiancé Federigo who'd footed the bill of her early plane ticket, calling it a late birthday present. How it could be a late birthday present when each of them had already given her something, she didn't know. But the ticket had been pressed into her hands by her grinning, redheaded cousin, who'd gotten along too well with Alexis and kept putting embarrassing things up on Facebook through the blonde's stay.

Lia might've declined, despite the fact that it was a present, had she not been itching to get back the Duel Academy. Dangerous as it could be, and fearful as it promised to be Duel Academy was starting to look more and more like home as the months past. Lia had spent the time Alexis hadn't been there wandering around in search of something to do. The mundane tasks like watching TV or surfing the Internet had lost almost all interest for her. She felt alien, cut off from the normal world of her grandparents house and even more so in her mother's new house. Gauvin lived in Auxerre as well, owning a vineyard and selling good-quality wine in the tourist hub that the city was. Lia had, surprisingly, been given the choice of moving into the Vinecrasé household immediately, or living the rest of her summer with her grandparents, because that was what she'd done for a majority of her life. Had her mother made the offer, Lia was uncomfortably aware of the fact that she would've seen it as a way to get rid of the girl. But Beline hadn't. It had been Lia's new step-father who'd taken her aside a few days before the wedding.

" _Je veux votre bonheur, ma chérie. Et vous avez seize ans. Tu es suffisamment vielle a faire vos propre décisions. Si vous voulez rester avec Henric et sa femme, ce n'est pas un problème. Surtout, je veux que ma nouvelle fille est contente."_

She'd chosen to stay.

Gauvin didn't want to get rid of her. He just wanted her happy and was willing to let her be away from her new family if that was what it took. He knew there was some tension between her and her new step-sisters. Estelle was a bit of a spoiled brat, and she was just at a bad age for her father to get remarried. She'd hit her teens just weeks before the proposal, and while she liked Beline and thought the woman made an awesome mother (after all, how many children got to say that their parent _dug up dead people_ for a living?) the sudden shift in attention had left her in an almost constant sour mood.

Jacqueline was different. Jacqueline was quiet, Jacqueline didn't make a fuss, and Jacqueline did not want a step-mother. She wanted her old mother back. The former Madame Vinecrasé, whose name Lia had never bothered to learn, was on friendly terms with her ex-husband and was actually a bit of a fan of Beline's work, but even her mother's approval wouldn't win Jacqueline over. Lia never said anything for fear of opening a massive can of worms, but she suspected that Jacqueline had always hoped her parents would reconcile and get back together. It was a dream Beline had shattered by becoming Gauvin's wife.

For her part, Lia had enjoyed the wedding. She knew her mother was trying to apologize for being so absent from her life by allowing her to bring a friend home, and Lia had milked it for all it was worth. She'd dragged Alexis through all of Auxerre and then to Paris. They'd go up the Eiffel Tower and down the Seine. They'd bought tickets for the Euro Star and spent a day in England. There had been late nights, shopping trips, and even the occasional drunken night. Maggie had encouraged them and Leal had kept an eye on them, and Claude, the only one of her new step-siblings that Lia actually felt a connection with, followed them around like an eager puppy, asking questions about Duel Academy.

" _Ah want t' be a...'ow you say...Academic! Comme ma soeur!"_ He'd said proudly when asked. Estelle had rolled her eyes and Jacqueline had taken him aside to quietly whisper to him that Lia wasn't _really_ his sister, because they had different parents and she wasn't part of the family. Which, of course, had sent the nine-year old to his father in a panic, and the shouting match between Gauvin and Jacqueline that resulted had had to be moved outside, lest they frighten Lia's guest.

Still, that didn't mean she felt at home with them.

There had always been a chasm between Lia and her mother, even before her father had died. From the time of the divorce when she was five to the moment Lia had stopped going with her mother on digs and information-gathering expeditions, a gap had opened between mother and daughter. Lia withdrew into herself, and she had never been the most outgoing of children. Beline, at a loss of how to reach her daughter, had handed her over to her parents, begged them to look after her, and taken longer trips for various museums, digging up more artefacts and writing more books.

And then Liam had died.

At the wedding, her mother dressed up in silk and lace, smiling as her new husband gently twirled her around the dance floor, Lia realized she hadn't really spoken to her mother in years. There had been duty conversations and discussions about grades and Lia had had to cajole and plead to be able to go to Duel Academy, but Beline knew nothing about what went on at the school. She knew nothing about cards that could suck out souls and apocalyptic gods that descended at a moment's notice. She knew nothing about Jaden's mysterious power, or Lia's own frequent black-outs when Jaden got more and more intense. She knew nothing about Alexis' unyielding eyes or Chazz's fierce presence, or even Syrus' gentle touch. She knew nothing about another lonely boy who'd lost his father and shared the rain with Lia.

Unbidden, her fingers came up to touch the charm at her throat.

It had come in a simply package in the mail, with a card bearing the same writing as the one that had been slipped under her door the day Bastian had broken her heart.

" _I thought your neck was looking a little bare. Then I saw this and thought of you. Happy Birthday, I'll see you in the fall. - Aster._

It was a simple silver chain, delicate and thin, from which a crescent moon was suspended. The moon was thin and only about the size of a Canadian toonie, and thin, the crescent being more of an outline around the edge of the empty space which was reminiscent of a shadowed moon. At once, Lia thought of both an eclipse and a waning moon. A set of tiny, glimmering stones were set in the crescent, flashing green when the light hit them just right. Peridot. Her birthstone.

Lia fiddled with the chain, her thumb running along the edge of the moon. A light dusting of pink settled onto her cheeks. She hated to admit it, but Aster could be really sweet when he wanted to be. He was so different from the arrogant jerk who had shown up that night and beaten Jaden, so far removed for that boy that it was almost as if they were two people. Aster had apparently been keeping tabs on Zane in the pro leagues, updating Syrus on things a news feed wouldn't be able to tell him. The older Trusedale had stopped going to underground duels, thank god, but his attitude hadn't improved one bit, and there was still a sadistic edge to his victories. Lia had been half afraid that Aster would try and challenge the older boy again, though she would die before she admitted it, but thankfully, Aster seemed to have understood the gravity of the situation, and stayed clear of Zane. Sartorius may have lost a vast majority of his fortune telling powers (beyond the very rare, world-shaking vision, he saw nothing but blurry images), but he seemed to have enough foresight to keep Aster and Zane as far apart as possible.

Lia turned the charm over in her hand.

Her mother hadn't known about the giver of the present. She'd given Lia a top that she'd seen in a store and thought would suit her, and a new old-school camera (the kind Lia loved) but the shallowness of the gift didn't sit well with her daughter. The charm from Aster, the new scrapbook from Alexis, even the gag gift of a guide to dueling from Chazz with the note '_So I don't have to put up with your annoying questions every time someone throws down_' all seemed to understand her better than her own mother. And if _Chazz_ understood her better than her own mother, then things were in a dire state indeed.

Of all her laughing, smiling cousins, only Magda and Leal noticed that there had been something off, and it had been Maggie who'd Lia had seen warning Leal off asking. Lia was grateful, because honestly, what was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to explain what had happened to her when she didn't actually understand it herself. There were gaps in her memory that weren't really gaps, but she couldn't really see what was going on. There was a film over her eyes, and everything was dull and dim. There were shadows with spots of colour, not people. There was a sense of the familiar, but she couldn't make the shapes make sense. She had known she was next to Syrus without ever seeing his face or hearing his voice. She'd known Aster was holding her solely by the heat of his body and hammering of his heart, not by any distinguishing mark of his face.

The only thing that stood out in that veil had been Jaden, and he'd terrified her as much as he'd been the only thing she'd wanted to see.

Shining, vibrant in a world of muted greys, and alive in a way those controlled by the Light could never be, Jaden had been an oasis in the desert of insanity that the year had turned into. After Alexis, after Chazz, after her world being shattered almost to the core, it was a relief to finally have something to believe in again.

He'd scared her with how much faith she had in him. He'd scared her with how desperately she wanted to reach out and touch him.

He'd scared her with how much dimmer everything else had gotten as he got brighter in front of her eyes.

She was shaken from her disturbing musings as a set of arms wrapped around her middle.

" Omigod Lia! Sweetie!" A sugary voice chirped in her ear. Lia found herself being hauled against a well-endowed chest, two arms entrapping her even as she struggled vainly to free herself.

" Min...dy..." She gasped. She was hugged tighter.

" I missed you so much! Those pictures you posted were so pretty! I told you you'd look good in anything! And that dress was just perfect! You looked like a fairy!"

" C-Can't...air..."

" The flowers in your hair were a nice touch, did Lexi recommend those? They seem like something she'd do. Or was it that cousin of yours? The redhead. She's so pretty. I've never seen anyone who looked that good, how does she stay so fit?"

" ...Please..."

" Huh?" Mindy looked down to see the younger girl almost suffocated by her cleavage. " Aah!" She let go quickly. Lia stumbled backwards with a gasp. " Sorry about that!"

" ...W-Why...does that...always happen t-to...me?"

Mindy shrugged, and cautiously drew Lia into a less breath-taking embrace.

" Dunno, maybe you're just huggable?"

Lia shot her a dark glare.

" Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just missed you tons! This summer was _so _boring, you know? I mean _you_ had a great summer, I'll bet. You got to have Lexi come for two weeks, and there was your Mom's wedding, and everything! All that preparation must've eaten away at the time, right? I saw the pictures. That was some party, you know?"

As Mindy babbled on inanely, Lia realized two things: one, she had somehow made it outside while lost in thought and two, she wouldn't be able to think about what had happened the previous June in too much depth.

The decision to leave Jasmine, Mindy and Atticus out of the loop had been a split second one, but still one that they all stood by. She and Alexis had briefly discussed what had happened one night when the moon was high and the rest of the house was asleep. Cozy under a blanket of stars as they retreated to Lia's roof, they'd sat, drinks in hand, and talked for hours, until the night began to yield to the first gray streaks of morning. There had been tears, and apologies, and the kind of hugs that made Lia wonder how her starved soul had lived without them for so long but in the end, they'd come to the same answer.

The others could never know.

It would hurt Mindy , it would scare Jasmine, and it would destroy Atticus.

And maybe they could get away with hurting Mindy because she'd gotten more steel in her softness during the Light invasion, and maybe she could handle that hurt better than they gave her credit for. And maybe they could get away with scaring Jasmine, because as hysterical as she had been over Jaden's display of power in his duel with Ojin, she'd still spoken to him afterwards and she'd still tried her best to hide her growing fear of him and that had to be worth something.

But they couldn't get away with destroying Atticus.

Discounting that he was Alexis' brother and she loved him, he'd been through enough. Losing his friends, being trapped in that darkness, still housing in some small part of his heart Nightshroud; it had all nearly broken him. He was made of glass whether he'd even admit it or not, and to put the weight of what had happened on him would be the end of him. He would never be able to accept that his sister was going to be on the frontlines. He was never going to accept that Alexis was going to be the hero of not only her own story, but others as well.

He was never going to accept what the Light had given her, and he would drive himself mad trying to save her from her prize.

They could never tell Atticus that Alexis was the Lightslayer.

" ...fess up." Mindy was saying. Lia blinked at her, uncomprehendingly. The older girl pouted and started poking in the cheek.

" What? What, stop it!"

" What's with you today? You're a total space-case! I've never seen you like this!"

Lia ducked out from under Mindy's arm and rubbed her cheek.

" I'm just tired." At Mindy's raised brow (wasn't that _her_ look?) she smiled, albeit a little nervously. " Seriously, Min. I came here a day earlier than normal just to hang out with all of you. My internal clock is still on French time."

" When'd you show up?" Mindy asked, apparently satisfied enough to keep walking towards the White-being-turned-back-into-Blue Dorm.

" Eh, early this morning. I just got my room assignment and _crashed_. I've been unconscious for the past few hours. What were you saying before?"

She quickly changed the subject, because she didn't want to talk about sleep or dreams. The cliff in the storm and the silver tower still haunted her, despite the Light being gone. She'd figured that the white lightning represented the Light of Destruction attacking her, and Its defeat would mean that the dreams would stop. But they hadn't. Syrus had told her that she'd been rambling on about storms when Jaden dueled the Light, but if that climax hadn't meant the end of her dreams did that mean that there was another storm on the horizon? Was the Light just the build-up?

" _Watch as this storm – an age in the making – finally breaks."_ Syrus had told her she'd said that to him while in her trance during the duel. If Jaden fighting the Light was the breaking of the storm, did that mean that it wasn't over yet? Were they in the middle of a new one, or had it passed without them noticing? Or, worse of all, were they in the calm, the deep breath before the plunge?

Realizing that she'd drifted off again, Lia hurriedly tuned back in.

" ...that necklace?" Mindy finished, looking expectantly at her. Lia touched the charm again; she was really getting into the habit of doing that.

" This thing?" Mindy nodded. " It was a birthday present."

" Oh, who from? It's really pretty." Mindy eyed the piece approvingly. Lia, who was still half lost in her thoughts about storms and calms and whether or not her persisting dreams were being prophetic or merely a result of paranoia, answered without thinking.

" Hmm? Oh, it was from Aster."

The second the words left her mouth, Lia regretted them. The gleam in Mindy's eyes bespoke a torment Lia had hoped to avoid.

The older girl opened her mouth to say something (probably along the lines of ' OmiGOD you _are_ going out with him!' which was totally untrue!), but was cut off as a Slifer boy and Ra girl went flying past, clipping her in the shoulder.

" Sorry!" The boy called.

" What the rush?" Mindy asked, rubbing the sore area, temporarily distracted from the Lia/Aster front. The girl, a pretty blonde who Lia had never seen before (a freshman then) squeaked excitedly.

" Haven't you _heard_? Yuki and some new guy are throwing down on the school roof!"

" You gotta check it out!" The boy agreed, equally excited.

" I hear Yuki is a-_mazing_ to watch!"

" I hear the new guy has legendary cards!"

" Jaden?" Lia asked, her eyes automatically drifting to where the roof of the school was visible over the tops of the trees. Sure enough, there were the customary flashes of lights indicative of a duel going on. If she squinted she could make out several familiar forms on one side of the field, but the other side was a mystery to her.

" Hey, aren't those..." Mindy trailed off, squinting from beside her.

" The Crystal Beast cards!" The Ra girl gushed. Both Lia and Mindy turned to each other with frowns on their faces.

" Aren't those the cards..." Lia started.

" ...Jesse was always going on about?" Mindy finished. An explosion lit up one side of the field, which was left empty save for two glittering masses. The Ra and the Slifer had already taken off, shouting elatedly as they went. Mindy and Lia continued to look at each other.

" You don't think..." Mindy looked back at the roof. Lia followed suit. Up on the roof, there was a flash of light on the empty side of the field.

" Oh," the younger girl sighed, " I don't doubt for a minute that they did. We'd better hurry if we wanna catch the show."

* * *

It was still surprising to some of the new Obelisk Blues (who'd come in with the superiority complex completely in place) that the name 'Jaden Yuki' could stir up such a frenzy in veteran students and newbies from the other dorms alike.

" Jaden Yuki? He's that Slifer who never loses, right?"

" Omigod, I would _kill_ to see Jaden in action! I hear he's awesome!"

" That Yuki kid dueled Aster Phoenix _twice_ last year. The first time he lost, but then he came back with a new deck and _owned_ the guy. Now Aster hangs out with him all the time."

" Jaden's actually a really nice guy, from what I hear. And not the usual Slifer Slacker either. He tries hard in class and aces all his duels."

Jaden, whether he knew it or not, had managed to become something of a legend around Duel Academy. He was nice enough to everyone, a decent if not stellar student, and his duels were the highlight of many people's day. His hyperactively seemed to have dimmed over the time he'd spent at Duel Academy, but he was always guaranteed to put on a show when challenged.

So when word got around that Jaden Yuki and some new kid (or transfer; or exchange student; or a government plant sent in to spy on them as the conspiracy nuts thought) with a legendary deck, there was a massive flooding of students to the roof.

Jasmine Makita, Syrus Trusedale, and Tyranno Hassleberry stood a little off to the side, having been some of the first to stumble upon the duel in their search for Jaden.

" Typical." Syrus muttered, cross-legged, resting his elbow on his knee and his cheek in the palm of his hand. " Not one day back and Aniki is throwing down already."

" Topaz, take down that walking fish!" Jesse shouted, pointing towards Jaden's side of the field. The massive cat lunged forward and there was a plume of smoke that rose up from where the aquatic monster had been standing.

" Dolphins are mammals, genius." Jasmine called boredly, but was ignored. Jesse, although still maintaining an air of sportsmanship and camaraderie, was hyper-focused on Jaden, cutting out any and everything that wasn't the Slifer. There was just the slightest air of desperation that hung over the Northern boy, something Jasmine and most of the others hadn't picked up on but Syrus and Hassleberry were reading loud and clear. It'd been the same one that had kept cropping up the previous year as Jaden raced forward to challenge the Light. Both Ra boys had graciously allowed Jaden and Jesse their moment before the final confrontation, citing privately that Jesse needed it in order to keep going. Syrus had been following Jaden since the day they'd met, and no amount of strange power was going to shake his faith in the older boy. He'd seen Jaden like that before, when he'd dueled Kagemaru, but it was the fact that Jaden had used that very power to save Syrus from the Sacred Beasts that made the younger boy more trusting.

Hassleberry was different. Where Syrus' faith was taught and learned, Hassleberry's was instinctive. Years of growing up as an army brat and being taught to follow a leader into whatever hell they led had left their mark, but it was the strange mixing of prehistoric DNA with human that truly solidified Hassleberry's opinion. Hassleberry had more animal in him than most. The rock slide should have permanently disabled him, if not killed him. He'd survived the impromptu surgery with little more than luck and a vast amount of will power. That was partly how he had resisted the Light. It had attacked him as a human, not a human-hybrid. It had gone for his will, not counting on the instinct of an animal to rear its head and jump to the forefront, slamming down on all the arguments the Light had prepared to draw Hassleberry into Its fold. It had found the snarling mind of a cornered animal, not the despairing one of a man, and It had fled, unsure of what to do.

It was that same animal part of him that led him to follow Jaden. Jaden was an alpha. He was _the_ alpha. The animal in Hassleberry flopped to the ground and showed its soft underbelly in a show of submission to the power that rolled off of Jaden no matter what was happening. More connected to the basic instincts, Hassleberry had felt immediately what it had taken the Light to show to the others: Jaden was the most powerful. No questions asked.

So Hassleberry followed Jaden because to the boy, not doing so wasn't an option. There was no one more powerful. Even the Light, which was technically stronger, had bowed to Jaden in the end. Because not only was Jaden the most powerful, he was the wisest as well. He understood the set of rules that none of the others did. Hassleberry had listened, despite his terror, during that last, brutal confrontation.

" _The rules must be obeyed."_ The thing had said. So there were rules, and Jaden knew them, and he was strong enough to invoke them against a god. It was enough for Hassleberry.

Hassleberry watched as Amethyst Cat carefully walked up to Jaden, bowed her head the tiniest bit, and then slashed him across the face.

" Ow." Jasmine winced in sympathy, but Hassleberry thought it was unneeded. Jaden bore the attack rather well, his head whipping to the side, but not other sign of pain on his face. The panther waited until he was looking at her again, and when he smiled at her, she turned and went back to Jesse, who was watching them with hooded eyes.

" Jesse seems really into it." Jasmine commented. She was doing most of the talking because after what had happened in June, Hassleberry and Syrus found that reading each other's looks had gotten easier.

_He's scared._ Said Syrus' eyes as they found the younger Ra's.

_More like desperate._ Hassleberry's answered.

Because that was what it was. Jesse was desperate. Not so much scared of Jaden's as thrown off kilter by it. The Jaden that had summoned up the Earth below them was very different from the Jaden that now stood across from the owner of the Crystal Beast deck. Flare Scarab arriving in a flurry of sparks and Jaden's announcing call. At least he was talking during the duel. That ought to set Jesse's mind at ease. It had been the silence and the pressure that had turned the boy off before, of that Hassleberry was sure. What Jesse was doing was trying to reset his world, to prove to himself that the kind, gentle Jaden really did exist, and wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

' Boy's gettin' wound too tahght.' Hassleberry sighed. On the field, Scarab and Neos flew into the sky to perform contact fusion.

" Jesse looks a little on edge." Jasmine muttered, but both boys were distracted by a familiar pair of voices sounding through the crowds.

" Oh god, _don't_ bring Ancient Roman history into this, jackass!"

" It's the damn truth, so shut your face, bitch!"

Hassleberry tilted his head to the side and caught sight of Chazz and Lia glaring at each other's faces as they argued. Mindy was making rapid 'cut' gestures across her throat, but to no avail. As Lia swelled for another round of insults, she was quickly cut off as the history teacher, Professor Stein, decided to intervene. He appeared to launch into a mini lecture as both Lia and Chazz looked on with identical looks of horror. A little to the left of them, Alexis had heard the shouting and was elbowing her way through the crowd, dragging Atticus as she went. Hassleberry decided it was only a matter of time until his trio was spotted, and thought he might as well enjoy the quiet while it lasted. On the field, Jaden slapped down Neospace, and Hassleberry, Syrus, and Jesse stiffened.

' Here we go ag'in.'

* * *

So, a little bit of a slow week. I'm only at 65. I want to get through to 75 by the end of Sunday. I was supposed to be at 80 by the end of the week, but I woke up with a really bad headache one day that just didn't let me write all that much, and then the next day, I had a bad case of writer's block. Only got two chapters done that day.

But the good news is is that as of Chapter 65, we've finally arrived at Haou. FINALLY. Because I had to do a little...rewrite about that, so it was a total BITCH. Not that I didn't love it. But it was a BITCH. God, why do I do this to myself?

Oh, that's right. Because I love this series and I love my characters. And I'm a maschochist.

But more on that later. In chapter 65.

For now, the triumphant return of Lia Shanner for Year Three! YAAY!

Lia: Took you long enough.

I had other things to establish.

Lia: Like what? Spiritshipping?

No one is ever going to let that go, are they?

Lia: No. No not really.

I might as well make them official at the rate this is going.

Lia: But think of all the jokes you'll lose out on if you do that.

I guess...

Lia: Speaking of your outrageous shipping tendecies-

Oh, here it comes.

Lia: -What. Is. This?

A necklace?

Lia: What KIND of necklace?

...A...nice one?

Lia: Aster gave me this, you bitch!

...I'm...sorry?

Lia: How could you make him give me something like...something like...like THIS?

...I'm confused, are you mad because you don't like it, or are you mad because you like it too much and the Slapshippers are on to something?

Lia: NEITHER! There's nothing going on! They aren't on to something! Nothing! SHUT UP!

...So, peridot is the birth stone of August and apparently it has healing powers, and protects against nightmares, both of which would be good for Lia, as seen in this chapter.

Lia: I'M FINE!

..She's lying, but you know, just let her pretend for her pride's sake. So, translations?

" _Je veux votre bonheur, ma chérie. Et vous avez seize ans. Tu es suffisamment vielle a faire vos propre décisions. Si vous voulez rester avec Henric et sa femme, ce n'est pas un problème. Surtout, je veux que ma nouvelle fille est contente." - _I wan your happiness, my dear. And you are 16-years-old. You are older enough to make your own decisions. If you want to stay with Henric and his wife, it's not a problem. Above all, I want my new daughter to be happy.

I think I kinda love Gauvin a little.

Also, I love the idea of Jaden having a little fanclub. It just makes me happy.

And Hassleberry. Because it occured to me that I'd never done one of those. There. I explained his reasoning. That's why he's all over Jaden. Kinda. What's that pairng called?

Oh god, I'm not going back to the List! I won't.

Edit: It's Wildshipping. I hate myself.

Fun fact. Bickershipping, which I kinda named LiaxChazz, is actually Kenzan (Hassleberry)x Manjoume (Chazz). I feel kinda accomplished.

And Slapshipping doesn't exist outside of this series according to the list. YES!

Anywho, tune in next week for a little Jesse thoughts and more dueling 'action'. Seriously. It lasts two episodes and it consists of two guys throwing cards down on a 'duel disk'. How did they build a school to this again?

MoS


	4. Thoughts

Warning: Um, Jesse and Jaden and the way I tend to write them? Maybe? I thought I did a little bit better this time, but I'm probably wrong.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Jesse didn't like the way his monsters were acting.

Now, that had happened before. Particularly when he'd first gotten them, and Ruby refused to even _look_ at him. Having lost his family at a young age and being taken in by a guardian who was kind and helpful, but not really a parent, Jesse was a little lost in what a family was like. He had memories, of course, but those had dulled a little over time, much as it hurt to say, and he'd been an only child at that, so brothers and sisters were a mystery to him. Still, through careful observation and the application of plain common sense, he'd figured out that no matter how much you loved someone, there were going to be moments when they got on your nerves. And that was okay. That was normal.

But right now, his beasts weren't acting normal and it was upsetting him.

He'd been working up the courage to finally challenge Jaden all summer, as pathetic as it was to admit. He'd wanted to duel the other boy from the moment he'd first seen him throw down against Chazz, but the moment hadn't been right and Jesse didn't feel confident enough in himself or the bond he had with his deck to pull it off. He'd put it off.

The next year he'd arrived for the GX Tournament, not actually expecting to win, but to be able to try out his deck on some new opponents. He'd beaten all the naysayers at North who'd come down on him for dropping out of the school duel to hell and back, and he was raring for some fresh opponents. He'd expected to meet Jaden, but he still didn't want to risk dueling him. He hadn't thought he was strong enough yet. He needed more duels to perfect his skills and, secretly, he was hoping that the Rainbow Dragon card would finally be made. With that crown jewel in his deck, he'd have the power to take on someone like Jaden. Someone who shone from the core of him when engrossed in a duel.

Unfortunately for Jesse, the events of the preceding June had changed everything.

Jaden had been altered in his eyes forever. The playful, happy-go-lucky boy who'd stood against Chazz and brought the black Slifer back from the brink had vanished in the blink of an eye. In his place was something older than Jesse could understand, something that, like the Light of Destruction that it battled, had seen the turn of worlds slow to a stop and stars being born out of the ashes of the old. It was beautiful, but it was a frightening beauty and it reminded Jesse of how small he really was. Carrier of the Crystal Beasts or not, he was still just one small human, and his life was too short to really accomplish anything.

It was a beauty that looked wrong on Jaden.

It had rankled Jesse more than anything else. Not even the Light, terrible and wondrous, had managed to unsettle him as much as Jaden. It had horrified him out of his mind; of course It had. It was an abomination of eldritchian proportions, a being so outside of his understanding that he could hardly comprehend It. At the end of the day, the Light simply _was_, and all else was meaningless. Trying to understand it was impossible. It led down the road of madness.

" _You are the song that sounds at the end of the world."_ Jaden had said to it, and it was the closest, Jesse knew, he could ever come to understand. The Light was terrible because It was so different from them. Jesse had delved, with a passing curiosity that was somewhat borne from the rebellious teenager in him, into the occasional perusal of an H.P. Lovecraft tale. The Light fit the description. Where others would call it evil, Jesse thought that maybe, he knew better.

The Light was not evil. It merely was. It followed Its nature, as it had said, and Its nature was destruction. It didn't want to destroy them all because It was evil and It had some grand, take over the world scheme. It wanted to destroy because It was destruction, plain and simple. Jesse would bet his left arm that once It had had the Earth under Its control, It would've waved a hand and shattered it, whether physically or using the minds of Earth's people. It might have seemed evil, taking pleasure in Its rampage and citing an ancient grudge as the cause of Its actions, but Jesse thought that maybe, It had just grown bored in the eons It had seen pass. And besides, calling It evil was judging It by human standards. It was judging a being beyond understanding by the human, ephemeral concept of evil.

It didn't make Jesse any less terrified, but it made sense.

Jaden however, _unsettled_ him.

Jaden was a human, the same as Jesse. Jaden could be judged by those standards which the Light eluded. He could be called evil, and if he acted a certain way, it would be right. Jaden was not beyond Jesse's understanding. In fact, Jesse had been fairly sure that he understood Jaden really well. The will to duel, the pleasure gotten from it; the way they both seemed to live for the draw of the card and the rush of adrenaline made them like two peas in a pod. Jesse had felt a connection with Jaden from the first moment he'd seen him.

But that connection had snapped with Jaden's transformation.

Because if Jaden was like Jesse, and if he was comprehensible to Jesse, then why, oh dear sweet _god why_, did the Light of Destruction make sense to _Jaden?_

Jesse had seen it all. Jaden had looked right at the Light, and there had been no confusion in his eyes, no desperate attempts to make what his eyes were seeing make sense. Jaden had looked into the depths of something beyond the ability of the human mind to know, and he'd understood what he'd seen with that awful, old beauty that hung around him. For the entirety of the duel, Jaden had divorced himself from his humanity thread by thread, and it had unsettled Jesse. Jaden was no longer the boy who'd dueled Chazz and given Jesse back his courage. He was, if not an abomination, then something else eldritchian. Something equally, or almost equally, as old as the Light Itself.

And Jesse wanted the old Jaden back.

He wanted the Jaden who laughed when others needed him to.

He wanted the Jaden who'd given him Ruby back when he was on the cusp of losing all hope.

He wanted the Jaden back whose smile didn't look tired and weary and like it had seen the fall of worlds.

And Jesse Anderson, who was human and small and unsure, didn't know of any other way to get his friend back then to duel him.

Neospace flooded the field in a wave of a thousand different colours.

" I know it's a little different than last time, but it chooses its form, I've noticed." Jaden smiled (a light, breezy, but not carefree smile, thank god), and gestured to the rainbow dome around them. Jesse, taking in the lack of stars and empty spaces, breathed a sigh of relief.

" In all honesty, Ah'm a li'l relieved. Don't think Ah coulda handled anotha trip lahke tha'."

Jaden laughed softly.

" No, I guess not." He looked around, considering. " Now that you mention it, I don't think I'd want one either."

Jesse shoulder relaxed a little.

" Oh yeah?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cat and Topaz watching Jaden's every move. While Emerald Turtle and Cobalt Eagle hadn't seemed too interested, the two feline members of his family were so attentive to Jaden that it was getting on his nerves. Neither of them would tell him what was going on, and Cat hadn't offered to tell him that story since her frantic bargain under the gathering thunder. The two remained tight-lipped, but the way they were staring at Jaden was really creepy. It was like they had never seen him before, like he was someone new.

It was the same look they'd given Jaden as the group had exited the room with Sartorius to find Alexis hammering her way through the Society of Light.

And Jesse wanted one of two things: he either wanted all traces of that Jaden to vanish into the past, or he wanted to know the whole story.

He didn't set his hopes to high on the first one, because Jaden had apparently pulled that trick before, so the only option was the second one. There was some part of Jesse, the same part that had refused _Jaden's_ offer to tell him the story, that wondered if maybe, ignorance wouldn't be bliss after all.

For the next little while, though, Jesse was going to duel Jaden and prove to himself that the kind boy who'd given Ruby back really did exist. If he could just have one duel with that Jaden then, win or lose, and come what may, he could hold that memory in his heart the next time Jaden became that Jaden, and use it to remind himself that no matter what, his friend Jaden could come back. No matter how that power changed him, some part of his friend still lived in that being, and Jaden could return to them all.

" Some things are best left in memory." Jaden glanced down at his cards. " But since I've played Neospace, Flare Neos gets a boost for every trap or spell card on the field, as well as 500 from Neospace." The monster's attack points climbed to 4600. Jesse let out a low whistle, and tried very hard not to think about Lia's voice echoing in the back of his head, _" the Aditus lends power to all its inhabitants."_

" Neos, Flare Storm!" Jaden pointed his monster in the direction of the two felines, who were watching the alien creature with wary looks. As Flare Neos shot forward, fire gathering in his hand, Jesse saw Burstinatrix and Avion shimmer into being at Jaden's side.

' _Go for it!'_ The red monster cheered, pumping her fist in the air. _' Kick some ass, baby!'_

' _Burst...'_ The winged monster winced at the volume of the shout. Jaden laughed.

" Ah, let her have her fun, Avion. You know how she gets."

Smiling a little at the interaction (although to most of their audience, Jesse knew it would look like Jaden was talking to air), Jesse quickly activated his face down.

" Sorreh, but your attack won't work thanks ta this!" The card came up. " My Last Resort Trap card lets me activate a field spell. So it's bah-bah Neospace, an' hello to Ancient City Rainbow Ruins!"

Cracks appear along the shell of Neospace, and it shattered under the weight of Jesse's field spell. A rush of air left him in relief as the cloudy void of endless colours were replaced by the amphitheatre of his card, mountains visible in the distance and ridged columns rising up over Jesse's left shoulder.

' _Oh, fuck you man!'_ Came Scarab's disembodied voice from somewhere overhead. Aqua Dolphin appeared, translucent, next to Jaden, Sparkman at his side.

' _**Behave**__, Scara." _Aquos chided. Sparkman, although his head was covered, looked as though he would be rolling his eyes.

' _He's been worse since Jaden starting hanging out with that Aster boy. I swear he's even more uncontrollable, if that's possible.'_

' _Hey! Low Tide, Sparks! I'll come down there! Don't think I __**won't**__!'_

' _Scara, enough.'_ Neos' calm voice echoed around them. While he couldn't be seen, Flare Scarab's presence seemed to dim down in compliance. Avion let out a sigh.

' _Praise be to Her. I thought we'd actually have to break them up.'_

' _It's just good-natured rousing, old friend.'_ Clayman said as he, Wildheart, and Blade Edge joined the group. Jaden was half lost behind his monsters, and was elbow Burstinatrix into silence as she tried to egg Flare Neos on. Avion and Sparkman struck up a conversation with Aquos, while Blade Edge all put hung off of an embarrassed Wildheart, laughing, and Clayman gravitated between the two groups, contributing. Jaden ducked under Burstinatrix's playful punch and shot Jesse a 'what can you do' shrug.

It was heartening, to say the least.

" So uh...where are we?"

" Rome, o' course." Jesse spread his arms out, eager to show off this particular field spell to his friend.

" Rome, huh?" Jaden looked around. The mountains cast no shadows in the bright noon day sun and the cloud drifted calmly, spurred by a slight breeze. Rows upon rows upon rows of seats lined the circular structure and the two Duelists stood in the middle. Behind Jesse, far off in the distance, three white columns rose up out of a fluffy white cloud, and a rainbow arced a little above them.

" Yup, and that means that you're Neospace is gone!" He hadn't meant to sound so vindictive but Jesse didn't want to lie; he was _delighted_ to get rid of that field spell.

' _You and me, mothafucka! You and me!'_ Scarab shouted again, and Jaden pinched the bridge of his nose.

" Would you excuse me for, like, ten seconds?" He asked and, without waiting for a response, looked up at his monster. " Scarab!" He jabbed a finger towards the ground at his feet. " Now!"

Flare Scarab, or at least an image of him, parted from Flare Neos and floated in front of Jaden, arms crossed and glaring at a spot just a little over Jaden's shoulder. He was even more see through than the rest of the monsters converging on Jaden's field.

'_What?'_ The monster asked. Jesse had to stifle a laugh as Jaden actually started tapping his foot.

" Stop threatening my friend."

' _Didn't mean fuckin' nothin'.'_ And the monster was s_ulking_.

" Well, just don't."

' _But Neospace-_'

" Scara, this is a duel. And sometimes in duels, _field spells get destroyed_. Quit your bitching and get back into this thing. I still need you."

Flare Scarab looked up at that.

' _Yeah?'_

Jaden beamed confidently at him.

" Of course. A duel isn't over until the last card's played, right? So stop worrying so much. Let's just have a good time."

' _Good time?' _Came Neos' voice again, coloured with an odd mixture of curiosity and hope.

Jaden nodded to the monster still hovering above the field.

" Yup. I haven't had this much fun in a _long _time."

Jesse felt a smile come up onto his face. It was working. There was his friend, and not that ancient creature from before. There was Jaden, soft smiles and carrying laughter and boundless kindness.

" Hey, Jay!"

Jaden looked up, Flare Scarab retreating back into Flare Neos.

" If it makes ya feel any better, ya get ta draw a bonus card!"

" Thanks, that does help!" Jaden slipped a card off the top of his deck. Wildheart was trying to shove Blade Edge off but the golden monster was hanging on for dear life. He gave Jesse another look, this one clearly reading 'you see what I have to put up with' as Burstinatrix starting shouting moves that sounded like she'd gotten them from a wrestling match and Avion moved to join Sparkman, Aquos, and Clayman in edging away from the fire spirit.

" Ah hope it did, 'cuz now Ah have ta tell ya 'bout the effect of _mah_ field spell. Since there's two Crystal Beasts in mah spell card zone, mah attack damage gets cut in half."

The firestorm finally left Flare Scarab's palm and shot for Amethyst Cat, who braced herself on the ground. She vanished in an explosion, only to be replaced by a floating purple gem like her fellow Beasts.

' _Later kitty-cat.' _Scarab cackled. He abruptly cut off when there was a suspicious smacking noise, followed by a small sound of pain.

" Grand Mole, switch to defense mode." Jesse resisted the urge to make a show of flicking his bangs out of his eyes at Jaden's move.

" Ah'm afraid ya can't do much else."

' _Hey Fairytale, didn't anyone ever tell you that gloating is unattractive?' _Burstinatrix asked as she rested her elbow on Jaden's head, using him as an unwilling armrest. Fire dance in between her fingers.

' _If it's not Scara...'_ Sparkman and Aquos sigh in unison.

' _It's Burst, I know.'_ Avion pinched the bridge of his nose.

" Ignore her. She's a fire type." Jaden ground out from under her arm. " They all have tempers." The monster in question did the fantastically mature act of sticking her tongue out at her master.

' _It's nice to see that time hasn't dulled you in anyway.' _Topaz rumbled, watching Jaden's monsters with unconcealed mirth in his deep eyes. There was a flash of fire, and Neos returned to Jaden's deck. The Slifer stared at the cards warmly for a moment before turning his attention back to the duel. Jesse drew a card.

" Ah play Rare Value! When there are two o' mo' Crystal Beasts in mah spell o' trap card zone, and Ah sacrifahce one, Ah can draw two new cards." He put Emerald Turtle into his Graveyard. " Ah'll bring ya back soon. Now then, Ah summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!"

After a moment, during which the massive monster shouted something about crushing, Jaden looked blankly at Jesse.

" And he sounds like a Schwarzenegger impersonator _because_?"

" Do not question th' ways of an eight tonne creature tha' enjoys smashin', fo' ya are small, an' yo' bones are brittle."

A beat of silence.

" Good answer."

" Thank ya." Jesse pointed towards the rodent on the other side of the field. " Topaz, dinner time."

' _Don't you __**dare**__ Topace.' _Grand Mole said in a squeaky, but angry voice. Topaz laughed deep in his throat.

' _My apologize, old friend.'_ And he leapt forward.

Jaden sighed as he watched his monster vanish. Topaz paused once the pyrotechnics were over, looking at him. The Slifer stared right back, apparently used to holding staring contests with duel monsters.

' _There's something different about you. Something I can't quite put my paw on...'_

" New haircut." Jaden quipped, but the dismissive tone just under it was clear. Topaz returned to Jesse's side of the field.

" An' just _what_ was tha' 'bout?" He whispered as his tiger settled next to him.

' _A stray thought.'_ Was the answer, as dismissive as Jaden's.

" Do all Duelists put up with this from their monsters?"

' _No, you are simply too easy.'_ Mammoth answered, seeing as Topaz clearly wasn't going to.

" Um Jesse?" Jaden was pointing to the billowing smoke that was all that remained of his Grand Mole.

" Yeah Jay?"

" Whenever Grand Mole is in a smack down like that, both of our monsters return to our hands." Twin flashes of light, and card appeared in both Jesse and Jaden's hands, Topaz gone from Jesse's side of the field.

" Damnit." He muttered.

" You're going to sic the elephant on me, aren't you?"

" He's a mammoth. An' yes. Yes Ah am."

" Thought so. "And Jaden braced himself. The smack of the trunk brought his lifepoints down to 300, and sent him flying to what would've been, had the field spell not been activated, the very edge of the dueling platform. He landed flat on his back. " Ow."

Amber Mammoth let out a trumpeting cry of victory, causing all of Jaden's monsters to cover their ears and wince.

' _Hey Terminator, ya wanna keep it down?'_ Scarab shouted, appearing next to Burstinatrix.

' _Yeah!'_ The female monster agreed. _' Some of us actually __**like**__ being able to use our ears!'_

' _You are puny, and your concerns mean nothing to me.' _Mammoth replied, to which the two fire types started shouting again, and Jaden facepalmed.

" Aaaaand here we go again."

" Um..." Jesse looked at the shouting monsters. " Should we..._do_ sumthahn'?"

" I'm on it." Jaden's voice was muffled by his hand. He took a deep breath, and then raised his head, glaring at this monsters. " Hey! _Hey!_ I will _ground _you two!"

'_Crap!' _Both monsters hissed, and then disappeared back into the deck.

" They're my monsters, and I love them. They're my monsters, and I love them. They're my monsters, and I love them, but _Christ_ can they be a pain in the ass sometimes!"

For several reasons, not least of all being that Jaden was acting more and more like his normal self, if only for the duration of the duel (and that in and of itself was bolstering. He, Jesse Anderson, had been able to bring back the old Jaden for a brief amount of time), Jesse was glad he wasn't the only one who got annoyed with his deck from time to time.

Jaden peeked up at him from between his fingers and bangs as he cradled his face in his palm, rubbing the bridge of his nose in aggravation.

" So are you gonna sacrifice those gems anytime soon, or are we still building up here?"

Jesse stared.

And stared some more.

And then stared a little more.

" Build up then, okay. By all means, continue." Jaden gave him a friendly smile and nodded to the floating crystals but Jesse's mind had gone to a standstill.

" Huh-what?" He said weakly. Jaden pointed to the amethyst still floating at his side.

" You. Those. Sacrifice. Am I wrong?"

" ...How is it tha' _Ah'm _th' one whose seen _your_ deck, an' _you_ are guessin' _mah_ strategies?" Jesse's voice was strained. It didn't help that Jaden just shrugged.

" Lucky guess?"

" Lucky guess mah ass." Jesse grumbled. " _Fahne_. Yes, Ah'm planning on usin' em, but they'll be _mergin'_, not _sacrifahced._"

" Semantics." Jaden waved the emphasis off.

" Once Ah have all seven, Ah can _merge_ 'em ta create sumthahn' new."

" ...You're going to draw this out, aren't you?"

" Whah?" Jesse's grin was a trifle sadistic. " Do ya want me ta summon it _really_ badly?"

Jaden glared, although he was pouting too much for it to be effective.

" Jesse, you are evil, no two ways about it."

" No, Ah'm patient an' careful."

" Evil."

" Semantics."

" And now you're joking-stealing." Jaden pulled a card off of his deck. " I play Convert Contact. Since my field is empty, I get to take two Neospacians – one from my hand and one from my deck- and send 'em to my Grave. And by doing that, I'm allowed to draw a card for each monster on your field in addition to the one I would normally draw." He said, sliding Grand Mole and Flare Scarab's cards into the Grave. Jesse was sure that, had he not been hiding from Jaden's wrath in the deck, Scarab would've protested the move.

He looked down at the cards he'd drawn.

" Okay, I play – and this is gonna sound strange, but go with it- the spell card Cocoon Party. Now, for every Neospacian in my Grave, I get a cocoon." Three frothy, pale bubbles appeared, each containing a small creature. In one was a red-eyed cat, in another a glowing figure, and the third, a small red parrot. " Don't say it."

Jesse's mouth twitched.

" Don't say it."

He really couldn't help himself.

" Don't say it, Jesse."

" Ah believe th' proper term is 'kawa-ahi', correct?"

Jaden's glare could've melt steel.

" I'm going to make him bite you." He pointed to the kitten. " I'm gonna make him grow up, and then I'm gonna make him bite you. And it will hurt. And you will not like it." A pause. "And you accent _sucks_. It's pronounced _kawaii_."

" Adorableness transcends language."

" Biting! It will happen!"

" 'Course it will. With itty-bitty baby teeth."

" Contact!"

" What was th-Whoa Chrahst!"

They weren't babies anymore. The three cocoons vanished into three streams of light, and in their places were three monsters, including a panther that could give Amethyst Cat a run for her money, a muscle-bound bird, and a glowing man. Jesse gulped.

" Is it too late ta say sorry?"

Jaden's grin was just a touch feral.

" Yes." He said shortly. " Hummingbird, do you thing."

And Jesse could only watch as two pink flowers bloomed out of the cards he was holding, which the monster proceeded to suck nectar from. Jaden's life points rose to 1300.

" Next, Neos' Energy, which gives my Dark Panther 800 extra attacks point." He nodded to the feline, who languidly stretched on his card before leaping at Mammoth, who disappeared in the customary explosion. He was replaced by a glowing amber gemstone.

" Ah play Sapphire Pegasus, an' his special effect allows me ta get a Crystal Beast from mah Grave and summon it." A bright ruby appeared on his side of the field. " An' Ruby's got an effect too! Show 'im wha'cha can do, girl!"

Ruby exploded out of her gem casing, the jewel at the tip of her tail glowing. Streams of red light shout of out of it and hit the other gems, which began to crack as well.

" This is going to end spectacularly, or in a very large explosion." Jaden observed as the Beasts began emerging from their shells. Jesse's face was starting to hurt from grinning so wide.

" Maybe both." Pegasus and Panther leapt at each other and collided in mid air. " Well, there's one explosion for ya, Jay." Cat sleekly leapt to the forefront, but her eyes were tracking the trails of smoke left by Dark Panther with wide eyes. She paused in front of Jaden, one clawed paw at the ready.

' _You weren't lying.'_ Was all she said, bringing her paw down.

" No," Jaden said as he regained his balance. " I wasn't."

Another attack.

Another. All of Jaden's monsters were gone, but he was smiling, almost looking bemused.

" I'm still waiting for this card of yours!" He teased. Ruby's attack hit him the chest.

" You okay?" Jesse asked as Jaden staggered for a moment.

" I've been scratched, pecked, and stomped. Just peachy, how 'bout you?"

" Ah'm good."

" You're a goddamn tease is what you are." The Slifer grumbled good-naturedly. " I play Fake Hero, which allows me to summon any hero I have in my hand. And guess which one I happen to be holding?"

" Oh boy." Jesse's eyes twitched as Neos came into being.

" And then, I play Contact Soul. Now, since Neos is on the field, I get to summon another Neospacian from my Graveyard. Air Hummingbird, come on out!" A flash of green, and the muscular red bird stood at Jaden's side. " Guess what happens next."

" Contact Fusion?"

" Contact Fusion." There was a blinding light as the two monsters merged. " Into Elemental Hero Air Neos! And since you have more lifepoints, Neos gets 1200 extra attack points."

The monster flicked his wings, twin scythes of light heading for Jesse.

" Fahne, fahne, Ah'll quit teasing ya. All mah Beasts are here, so that means-"

" Too late." Jaden's voice was gleeful as his attack struck. The world exploded into fire and dust, and Jesse felt himself fall, his monsters and field spell vanishing as his lifepoints dropped to zero. Coughing from the grit kicked up by the explosion, Jesse groaned. When he could finally see again through the smoke, Jaden was crouching in front of him, smiling a far too innocent smile.

" I already know you don't have Rainbow Dragon." He said softly, too quietly for anyone to hear. Jesse's eyes flew open.

" How-"

" You told me." He held up a hand to stop Jesse's protest. " You were kinda drunk at the time. So was I, but for some reason, that little factoid stayed with me through the hang-over." He stood, dusting off his pants. " Don't worry about it. We'll find you that...I think you were trying to say 'tablet', but it came out as 'table lecture'." He flushed at Jesse's incredulous look. " Did I mention that you were drunk? Really, really drunk?"

" Was this in June? 'Cuz Ah remember being drunk in June." He took the hand Jaden had offered to him and was pulled to his feet. " Well, when Ah say remember..."

" Oh god, they're doing it _again!_" A familiar voice cut through the silence that had settled over them. Jesse looked over Jaden's shoulder.

" Uh Jay?"

" There's a camera in her hands?"

" 'S bit bigger 'an tha', Jay."

" Hmm?" Jaden turned around.

And met the gazes of what had to be half the student body, most of the faculty, and several faces he didn't recognize.

" Um...hi?"

* * *

So actually, I took a break from writing this week. I just...ran out of energy or something, and really, 68 chapters isn't a bad place to take a break, is it? I am just ready to start the Haou vs. Jim duel, and after that, things get...interesting. I'l probably start up on Sunday again.

So, here's this week. And JESSE! Jesse introspective! I kinda like writing for him, if only because he's not so on board with the whole mysterious power of Jaden's thing...and he has a whole army of duel spirits that he talks to as well. Really, could be BE anymore of a writer's favourite in regards to the real show? Oh, hi! Just let me come right the fuck outta nowhere, have an instant bond with the main character to the point where I surpass the bonds he'd had with the people he's known for two years longer than me, mention that we might have met before and then NEVER elaborate on it, have super-rare ultra-awesome cards, make everybody love me instantaneously...So is Jesse a Mary Sue? Or...oh god, the male equivalent...Gary Stu? Is Jesse a Gary Stu? Oh god, I hope I made him less of one if so. Jesus, writers. What the hell guys?

Also, I never liked how they ended the Jesse vs. Jaden duel in the show. One, it made it look like Jaden couldn't beat Jesse on his own and it was only massive luck that Jesse didn't have the card he needed that let Jay win, and two, it made Jesse look like a complete and total idiot, building up this thing until going, at the last possible second, ' Oh, yeah, BTW, don't actually have it lol!'. I don't think that's what they were going for, but it ended up looking like that to me, and since this is my universe, I can tweak thins I don't like. So Jaden beat Jesse before he could make an idiot of himself in front of all of Duel Academy.

So there.

...

Ha.

What else?

Oh yeah, this is not the last time Jesse's pornunciation will get on Jaden's nerves.

Anywho, I think that's it. I'm gonna go read over some of the other chapters I've written, get back into the modd, and then see if I can pump out something about Jim and Haou dueling by the end of the week.

MoS


	5. Discussions

Warnings: Why, oh god WHY, does this shit keep happening to them?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_. Hell, I don't really own anything.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Lia calmly walked into the room, sat down at coffee table most of them were sitting at, and took a deep breath. Jaden opened his mouth, but Lia held up a hand for silence.

Then she dropped her head to the table with a bang.

And repeated the action.

And again.

Syrus, Jaden, and Hassleberry watched her impassively. After another two head-desks, accompanied by painful sounding whams, Lia let her head rest where it had fallen and let out a little whimper. It was the sound of someone who was at the end of their rope.

" What she said." Syrus agreed, gesturing. Lia whimpered again.

" She makes a good point. How come this keeps happenin' t' us?" Hassleberry asked.

" Maybe we're just lucky." Syrus grumbled. Jaden said nothing, but reached over and patted Lia sympathetically on the shoulder. She merely groaned. It wasn't a whimper, so they all assumed she was getting better.

" Ahther way, that Vahper is bad news." The dark-skinned Ra sighed, rubbing his forehead like he was trying to ward off a headache. Jaden, Jesse and Syrus favoured him with a wry look.

" That lovely man? _No!_" Syrus goaded. Jesse snorted.

" Tha's nothin'. Ya shoulda seen him on the boat. Prowlin' 'round lahke he was at boot camp."

" Did you _hear_ his speech?" Syrus threw his hands in the air. " Could he be any more obvious?"

" I don't think you want that answered." Aster said from the fridge as he rooted around in the freezer for something.

" We are in _so_ much trouble." Syrus muttered. Hassleberry gave him a tired look.

" Least he was nahce enough ta tip us off t' the fact that he's a crazy."

" _Marvelous."_

_Both Jesse and Jaden jumped at the deep voice that boomed over the hustle and bustle of the crowd. The two had managed to make their way over to their friends, where Atticus was distracting Chazz and Aster and Lia were standing a little away from the group, whispering. Lia was red and Aster was pointing to her neck with smug expression on his face. Alexis was standing with Jasmine and Mindy, probably discussing the idea of getting more posters for their room, and beside Jaden, Hassleberry and Syrus were alternating between berating Jaden for jumping into a duel on his first day back, and teasing Jesse by using the nickname Lia had apparently given him upon seeing him again: Stalker._

_The entire group leapt off the ground at the sound of the voice. Turning, they gulped. Only Jesse recognized the man, but once he had been seen, he was impossible to forget. He was massive, a single spike of dark hair jutting out of his head not unlike the wicked horn on Sapphire Pegasus. Decked out in a royal blue uniform jacket that somehow managed to look like it belonged in the military, the man was built like a brick wall: Sturdy, strong, and unmoving. Jaden was willing to bet money that he hit like one too._

" _Simply incredible." The man continued in a voice that had been tailor made to shout orders. " I'd planned to set up an exhibition match for the first day of school, but this is far better than I could have hoped for."_

_He turned as Chancellor Sheppard managed to squeeze his way through the crowd, followed closely by Crowler and Bonaparte, both of whom seemed to be sweating the heat of the day. Crowler, surprisingly, disentangled himself from the trio and looked sternly at Jaden._

" _You should be very grateful that the term has yet to start, Mr. Yuki, or else I'd have to write you up for engaging in an unauthorized duel."_

" _You __**do**__ know we do this all the time, right?" Chazz asked. Crowler sniffed._

" _Well if you must, then __**kindly**__ be a little more subtle about it. Any more shenanigans and you might be thrown out."_

" _Isn't that what you want?" Chazz prodded again. Crowler flushed an angry purple, bypassing red completely._

" _I have spent sweat and blood on you brats trying to educate you! I will __**not**__ see my hard work go to waste simply because you can't control your dueling impulses!"_

" _Relax, Teach." Jaden offered him a reassuring grin. "__We're not going anywhere, so don't worry so much."_

" _That's hardly the issue here." Crowler ground out, looking more embarrassed than angry. He turned to storm off, but paused and looked over his shoulder to mutter, " Try not to overexert yourself. I don't want to have to explain why you ended up in the infirmary again."_

" _You got it." Jaden gave his usual two-fingered salute._

_But the good mood was immediately destroyed as Viper finished speaking to Sheppard and turned his attention back to all of them._

" _I knew the students at Duel Academy were enthusiastic, Sheppard, but I didn't realize how much. Yes, I think this is an excellent time to announce my plans for the year." The large man was saying. His dark eyes scanned the crowd, but focused in on the suddenly wary Slacker Club. He shifted so that his hands were held behind his back and his legs were firmly planted apart. Hassleberry and Jaden stiffened and straightened unconsciously._

" _Listen up!" The man boomed. " I'm Professor Thelonius Viper of West Academy. I've organized this little inter-school get together as a way to broaden your minds and test your skills. As you can see from the duel you've just witnessed, we are clearly talking about the best of the best here. Consider the duel between Jaden Yuki of Duel Academy and Jesse Anderson of North Academy your very first lesson of the year. You will all have to strive to meet that level of dedication and power."_

" _It sounds like he's complimenting Jay, but..." Alexis muttered. At her side, Mindy and Jasmine nodded quickly._

" _He's mega creepy."_

" _And the best way to learn is to do." Viper continued. " So starting the day after tomorrow, I'm going to implement a strategy that I've found very useful at West Academy: The Survival Duels."_

" _Oh, this sounds bad." Atticus hissed under his breath._

" _Each day, you will be obligated to have at least one duel. And don't even __**think**__ about trying to get out of it. I will be monitoring your dueling progress from now on with the help of a little something I came up with." He reached into one of the large pockets of his shirt and withdrew a strange, metallic bracelet. A clear oval, almost like a jewel but not, rested on the top. " This is the Bio Band, and come the day after tomorrow, you will all be wearing one."_

" _What do they do?" Jaden asked, the only one who seemed capable of finding his voice. Viper did not look perturbed by the interruption, but one of the new boys, a dark-skinned boy in a vest with what looked like a bright yellow gun strapped to his waist, glared at Jaden's question. _

" _They measure duel energy. I will be monitoring how much effort you put into your duels."_

" _How exactly do you measure that kind of thing?" Alexis piped up, and only quelled a little when the man turned to her._

" _A long and arduous process of programming a computer to translate things such as heart rates, brain activity, and endorphin production into terms of measurable effort."_

_It sounded a little like bullshit, but no one was going to call out a man who looked like a walking tank._

" _One more thing." Viper said before the crowd could dissipate. Jaden was starting to get antsy. He didn't like the feel of the man and wanted to be away from him, preferably somewhere with his friends so they could create a game plan._

" _I understand that at Duel Academy, unlike the sister schools, the Academic Program has been implemented and is flourishing. The purpose of this visit is dueling, but it is not out of the realm of the possible that the exchange students might have been asked to observe how the Program works and whether or not it should be brought to their school." A challenging look came into his eyes. " So impress them."_

_He finally shifted the attention from Jaden's group to the crowd at large. Comically enough, they all balked under his gaze._

" _Alternative methods of education should always be encouraged, but I am a Duelist first and foremost. Therefore, my focus will be on the dueling aspect of this school. At the end of the term, the Academics will submit a project of their own choosing, so long as it revolves around the Duelists. You may write essay, paint masterpieces, or what have you. But I want to see your understanding of your fellow students. I want to see just what dueling and attending Duel Academy means to you. You won't get to take it easy this year just because I'm breathing down the Duelists' necks. Every single student at this school will have work until I'm satisfied, or risk expulsion!"_

_On the other side of the crowd, Crowler leaned down to whisper in Bonaparte's ear._

" _He's scaring the students! If he starts unfairly marking them, then we'll be out of a job!"_

" _I will see all Duelists in Lecture Hall A bright and early on the first day of school for the distribution of the Bio Bands. Dismissed!" At the 'okay' to go, the crowd scattered, breaking off into clumps of whispering and worried students. Jaden's group remained exactly where they were, staring at Viper in a way that wasn't quite challenging, but wasn't accepting either._

" _Well, my camera's gonna get a lot of use. This year. Try not to look stupid, okay guys?" Lia said, fiddling with the digital camera that had had a cord looped around her wrist. Viper heard her, and gave her an unreadable look that might have been approval, but just as easily could have been annoyance at her comment. She squeaked (which she would later deny) and ducked behind the nearest person. Unfortunately for her, the nearest person was Chazz, and he calmly stepped to the side, leaving Lia exposed. She scowled at him, and then ducked behind the nearest person on her other side. As this was Aster, he stayed right where he was._

_Viper took a step towards them as Mindy and Jasmine tried to make themselves as small as possible. Syrus and Hassleberry stood their ground, and Chazz looked thoroughly unimpressed, but Atticus was gritting his teeth, glaring at the pocket the man had put the Bio Band back into._

_Viper stopped in front of Jaden, who had his arms crossed and was employing a casual stance that didn't match the seriousness in his eyes._

" _You're Sachiko and Sorimaru's boy, aren't you?"_

_Jaden's jaw dropped._

" _Otou-san? 'Kaa-san?" He said before he could stop himself. Viper gave a tiny little half-smile. His entire face transformed with it. Warmth entered into his eyes and he didn't look half as severe as he had before._

" _Sachiko and I served together when I worked with the UN. Good woman." He nodded to himself. " Good soldier. Could take down half the men in her platoon without breaking a sweat."_

" _She still could." Jaden joked, unable to resist the chance to praise his mother. Viper laughed at his comment; not the maniacally laugh they'd all been expecting, but an honesty, almost fatherly laugh. It was at odds with his massive stature and the booming voice he'd been using._

" _I don't doubt that. Tank will never change. I was surprised she married a pacifist like Sorimaru, but opposites attract, I suppose." He gave Jaden a serious look. " I wasn't there the day he took that bullet, but I maintain that it's the bravest thing I've ever heard. No combat training, no history in military situations, nothing but the desire to do the right thing...Your father is a brave man. And I understand you take after then both."_

_Jaden was flushed with pleasure. Viper put a hand on Jaden's shoulder._

" _I'm expecting great things from you, Jaden Yuki."_

" _I'll do my best." Jaden gave a small smile, and Viper patted his shoulder once before withdrawing. He looked at the group at large._

" _That goes for the rest of you as well. Put your blood and tears into this year. Fight until you feel ready to collapse and then get back up again. Show these foreigners why Duel Academy is considered the best of the best. Don't disappoint me!"_

_The imposing man was back. The soft smile had vanished so quickly that several of them wondered if they hadn't imagined it. _

_Viper turned to go._

" _And Miss Shanner."_

_Behind Aster, Lia squeaked._

" _I look forward to your pictures."_

" _Yes sir!" Lia's voice was far too high-pitched. Viper nodded once, and then continued down the stairs, leaving a confused and wary group behind._

" He's bipolar, I swear." Aster said as he emerged from the freezer, carrying an ice pack. He sat down next to Lia, lifted her head up, and wedged the ice pack between the table and her face. Once he was done, she let her head fall back down with another groan, although there was no 'wham' this time.

" Yeah, and he expects us ta _trust_ these things?" Jesse held up his right wrist. The Bio Band on it gleamed innocuously enough in the overhead light of Chazz's living room, but it had locked onto his wrist, and no amount of prying was getting it off.

" I sure as hell don't." Aster glared at the addition to Jaden's arm. " I mean, it's only the first day, and I already feel uncomfortable and watched."

" Paranoia?" Hassleberry offered.

" Hey, you dorks wanna keep it down? I'm trying to work here!" Chazz shouted from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, where the light was better. Across from him, with her arm laid out so that Chazz could poke at the Bio Band, sat Alexis. Chazz was currently fiddling with the locking mechanism; a tiny panel was open and he was prodding it was several instruments he'd produced from his room and refused to talk about it.

" Anything?" Jaden asked. Chazz shook his head.

" This is sophisticated as hell, or else it's magic. Either way, it's gonna take some time to get anywhere."

" This thing is monitoring our heart beats!" Aster was saying to Hassleberry. " Of course I feel paranoid! You should too! What if you start doing something you don't want Viper to know about? What if your body temperature rises because you're getting drunk?"

" Or having sex." Jaden offered, and ignored the looks everyone gave him.

Chazz laughed from his place in the kitchen.

" Then Shanner would be fine either way."

Lia, without raising her head, gave him the middle finger, although it was hidden by the couch. However Chazz had been around Lia for three years, and so maybe his response wasn't so surprising.

" No, you." He said without looking back. Alexis rolled her eyes, more than used to their antics.

" I'm just glad we didn't have these things on at the party."

" _Hey, new guys!"_

_Atticus, across the walkway, crashed into Adrian Gecko of East Academy and Jim Cook of South. He hung off of them, one arm around each of their shoulder, grinning like a loon. By one of the triangular stones that lined the walkway, Alexis ducked her head and pretended that she wasn't related to him._

" _Blow-out at the Blue Dorm tonight. Bring your own booze and ready your hang-over meds!"_

" _Aren't a majority of us underaged?" Adrian asked, looking a little perturbed by the boy using him as a crutched. Atticus turned his megawatt grin on the other boy, making Adrian try and lean away from it. As Atticus' arm was still hanging around his neck, it didn't work too well._

" _Allow me to impart upon you a piece of wisdom that someone imparted to me in my first year." He struck a thinking pose, letting go of Jim in the process. The Australian jumped out of grabbing range but stayed to watch the show, bemused._

" _We are technically in international waters." Atticus said, his grin somehow getting bigger. " And nobody's claimed jurisdiction yet."_

_He left the gaping Adrian standing on the walk, clearly contemplating the implications of the Obelisk's statement. Before he got too far, Atticus turned back to look at the exchange students._

" _Oh yeah! Welcome to Duel Academy._

" _Please don't feed the Sacred Beasts." Intoned about half of the students present. Lia wasn't sure how her bad joke at the beginning of the previous year had mutated into it, but it had become the unofficial slogan of the school._

" Yeah," Syrus appeared to be lost in memory, " thank god for that."

" Remind me again." Jaden stretched, his shoulders popping. " _How_ did we manage to fill that pool with all those Skittles?"

" Where did we _find_ that many Skittles?" Alexis asked as Chazz lifted the Band a little, trying to get a look on the inside.

" An' how did we _pay_ fo' 'em?" Jesse finished. Chazz, for his part, answered absentmindedly.

" I looked at the history on my browser. I charged the Skittles, the pool toys, and the horror movie marathon on Pay Per View to Slade's account."

There was a pause.

" Well, that answers that question." Alexis sighed. From her position face down in the ice pack, Lia whimpered again.

" Lia's right, that doesn't explain the copy of the Mona Lisa." Aster said, pointing to the painting that was now hanging above the wide-screen TV. Jaden sighed.

" Somehow, I don't think we want to know. I mean, look at the pictures. Do _you_ want to know? Because I don't. I really, I really don't."

Before Jesse could reply, there was a sound of protest from the kitchen table. The boys turned (and Lia tilted her head enough for one hazel eye to emerge), and saw Chazz lifting up Alexis hand, forcing her to stand and lean across the table or risk having her arm yanked out of its socket.

" Uh, Princeton?"

" In a minute, Strawberry. I think I found something."

Jaden made his way over, actually vaulting over the couch.

" What is it?"

" There's some kinda symbol here, under the gem part." Chazz said, turning Alexis hand this way and that. He ignored her protests. " Might just be a trademark or something, but I want to see it."

Jaden leaned over to peer in the gap between the metal and Alexis' skin. Sure enough, there was a dark set of lines on the pale metal.

" What is that?"

" Dunno." Chazz started squinting. " The band's too close to the skin, I can't get a good look."

" Maybe it's just a patent or sumthahn'." Jesse remarked. " Lahke, Property o' Vahper."

" Maybe." Chazz was pulling on her wrist again, and Alexis nearly went over flat.

" Can I have my hand back now?"

" No." Chazz and Jaden said as one. She gritted her teeth.

" I can beat you both up, and you know it."

" After we figure out what this is."

" Hey." Syrus' voice broke through the increasing sound of Alexis' grinding teeth and Jaden and Chazz's hums of speculation.

" What, munchkin?"

" Yeah Sy?"

" Out of curiosity, have you two done your duels for the day?"

Every duelist in the room save for Aster froze. Chazz dropped Alexis' hand. Alexis went still in her chair as Hassleberry jumped to his feet. Jesse went pale and Jaden slapped himself on the forehead. Lia didn't move.

" Crap!"

" Shit, shit, shit fuck shit!"

" Outta my way, Slackers! I gotta find somebody to duel!"

" Hey Jay, wanna go ag'in?"

" Um, yeah, no, Jesse. You leave Aniki alone."

" Whah should Ah?"

" Well partly because you two will probably destroy something in your enthusiasm. ...But mostly because he's already out the door."

" Hey Sarge, wait up!"

" Jaden, don't you dare steal all the good duels for yourself!"

" Lexi, slow down! Gah, don't grab me!"

" C'mon Sy! The sun's setting!"

" All y'all better wait fo' me!"

Aster watched the mad dash for the door with a raised brow.

" And they didn't think to duel each other?"

Lia, from where she was sitting at the table, sat up straight, carefully moved the now warm ice pack away to lie in front of Aster, and brought her head down onto the desk with a resounding 'wham'.

* * *

It is my head!canon that the Blue Dorm is the party dorm, without apologies. They had that 'Crowler Was Too Sick to Go to Class' party, and the 'Exam Hace Finished and the School is Still Standing!' party, and how could anyone forget the 'The Light in the East Wing Second Floor Corridor that's Been Flickering On and Off and Driving Everybody Nuts Has FINALLY Burned Out' party. That one had a mime.

...

I don't know how or why.

And the Skittles pool (I don't own Skittles). Long live the Skittles pool. And you just know Jesse was so drunk that he was having the time of his life. C'mon. Taste the rainbow, anyone? I swear to god he thinks he owns majority shares of every rainbow related thing there is. ...Are we sure he doesn't stand for Pride? Because honestly, he probably thinks he owns that too.

And here is a breather...ish...chapter, jus about them talking. About crazy shit going down. And then Viper shows up. Because he's Viper and he does that and I don't like him. I like him more than I like Adrian, but that really ain't saying much, now is it? I mean, I know he's a complex characer and all, and maybe in the Japanese version, he's more...interesting, but honestly? I just don't like the guy. He's slimy and creepy and he sacrifices Echo for his own ends, despite claiming to care about her. I know she was willing and all, but he didn't even HESITATE. It was like, 'Hey, Echo, BFF of my life, only person I can truly count on, only person who actually means one iota of a bit to me, mind dying so that I can satisfy my inferiority complex? Kthxbye!'

Jackass.

And yeah, all that stuff about how the Bio Bands were supposed to measure Duel energy that Viper just spewed out? Complete and utter bullshit. Stick around if you wanna find out how he's REALLY doing it

I suppose that's all, really. You guys are smart enough to figure things out without me spoon-feeding you guys.

Lia: You're displaying actually FAITH in the audience?

Holy crap! How long have you been there?

Lia: I'm constantly in your head. Except, you know, when you're too busy reading Fairy Tail to notice!

Imma kill Minerva, that's what Imma do.

Lia: And this is why you can't get back into the swing of writing.

Chapter 68 is not a bad place to take a break! It's longer than YEAR TWO was, and I'm jus at the Haou vs. Jim duel!

Lia: And that means that you still have a long way to go! And don't waste a day reading Girl Genius again!

Gah! Leave me alone! Oh crap, do I need to say that I don't own that? Um, I don't own Girl Genius, even though it's an awesome comic and I love, love , love it now, but I stopped somewhere around the 2006 mark a coupla days ago, and have been reading through 2010-2012 random bits? And if Gil and Agatha don't end up together, I'll be very, very sad.

Lia: Stop bringing shipping into everything!

I can't help it! I get attached!

Lia: You're pathetic!

And you're fictional, so I automatically win!

Lia: ...That makes no sense.

La la la, I can't hear you over the sound of existing in reality!

Lia: You know, if this series goes the way you want it to, that might not be such a good excuse anymore.

Shut up! Don't spoil it!

Lia: I'm just saying-

That comes AFTER Card Games on Motorcycles, dummy!

Lia: ...You did NOT just call me 'dummy'.

Oh, I think I did.

Lia: I'm gonna go get the flaming rock.

Why do you even HAVE that thing?

Lia: In case I need it.

Oh, I cannot WAIT for later when...you get...stuff...and...things happen...spoilers?

Lia: *in distance* Nice going!

Cram it!

MoS


	6. Orders

Warnings: Axel. Lots and Lots of Axel. And me doing a great of speculation about his home life, as well as me taking artistic liscence with it.

Disclaimer: I don't know _Yugioh GX._ Hell, I don't really own anything. Maybe Lia. Kinda. 'The Illusion of Ownership'. Oh, I'm finding a way to write that paper!

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Axel Brodie was a man on a mission.

Axel was always on mission of sorts. His life was one long mission. The specifics may change and the smaller objectives altered as they were completed and replaced, but his entire life was one long mission, and he had to finish it or die trying. He took his orders and he followed them to the letter. Such were the lessons taught by Austin Brodie and his wife Lua. As a mercenary and an ex-CIA agent, both were very strict in their education of their only son, and Axel's childhood had been less about playing so much as it'd been about learning to survive.

Not that his parents weren't loving. They adored their son, but Axel understood that their love was shown through their desire for him to be able to survive anything. They wanted him to be strong enough to walk away from anything that life threw at him. Both of them were covered in scars from the various missions their careers had forced them to take, and the Brodies knew, perhaps better than anyone, just how rough the road could get.

They wanted their son to be able to walk away, bleeding and broken, but alive, from absolutely anything.

That was probably why he was currently hanging by his ankle from what was little more than a trip wire, suspended above the jagged rocks of the shallow ocean below.

' Focus.' He could hear his father's voice echoing in his mind. ' Your senses have got to _always_ be alert. There's danger everywhere, son, and if you let yourself get lazy even for a second, you're as good as dead. You gotta learn to do this instinctively me. I know it sounds hard, but it'll come to you. I was the same. Wandered around in a daze, barely knew up from down. You work hard, and it'll come to you. You work hard, Axel, and you'll survive.'

He began to swing back and forth, straining the rope. He could hear the mechanism start to emit sparks.

' Movies and cartoons will tell ya that it's simple: There's good, and then there's evil.' He could see him mother in his mind's eye, her wavy hair pulled out of her face in a bun, her muscles coiled to attack as they sparred under the watchful eye of his father. ' But people ain't that obliging, son. You're gonna want 'em to be, trust me, but it won't happen. People got reasons; and some times, those only make sense to them. Get inside people's heads, figure out what makes 'em tick. Empathize, but don't sympathize. Don't let their reasons change yours. Follow the order, but if it don't sit right with you, then remember that. Always remember who you are, and don't let the order change you. Follow it, but don't lose yourself along the way.'

The rope was straining harder now. It was starting to unravel, he could tell.

' You've to be strong.' His father had said. ' You've got to be strong, because your mother's right. The world ain't always nice, and it sure as hell ain't simple. You've got to know who you are, and what sits right with you. If a superior gives you an order, you follow it, just like your mother taught you, but you remember who you are. You come back from that mission as Axel Brodie, you got that? Don't you _ever_ let someone tell you who you are. Not even me or you mom. If we tell you something that you don't agree with, well, hold on to it, son. Make it a part of you.'

The rope was ready to give, he could feel it. He was swinging faster now, his hand poised on his deck. Most would call this method of drawing insane, but for Axel, it simply worked. His senses were never higher or more focused as when he was an inch from death. It was the perfect time to throw everything into his draw.

' Don't go through life alone, Ax. Ain't nothing worse than being alone. I found your father and he found me and I've been grateful ever since. You don't gotta get married and you don't gotta bring anybody home, but you find somebody. A friend. A coupla them. People who won't le'cha get lonely. Cause if there ain't no one there, then who'll watch your back?'

Faster and faster. The adrenaline pumped through his system. His fingers twitched on his cards.

' Wait.' His mind hissed.

' Watch everywhere you can, but find someone to trust with your back. That's your weak point, son. That's the one place they can ge'cha. So the person you put at your back has gotta be someone you trust with your life. It's a risk, son, but if it pays off then it's worth it. I gave your mother my back a long time ago, an she gave her hers, and we've walked away from things no one could walk away from alone. But until you find someone to put there, you be extra vigilant. No telling what life's gonna throw at you.'

The rope snapped.

Using the momentum of his swing, Axel threw his body forward, twisting so that he landed on the cliff just as the rope fell towards the jagged rocks below. Mid-air, he drew, and once he'd righted himself, he looked down. And smirked.

" Excellent."

" Good to hear."

Axel jumped to attention. Across from him, Viper smirked at the attentiveness of the boy.

" I have an assignment for you, Brodie." He said without preamble. Axel nodded. " I believe we discussed it on the trip over here."

" Duel Jaden? I'm on it."

" The objective has changed a little, if that's alright with you." It was clear from the man's smile alone that the last bit was merely said out of courtesy, and that Axel had no say in the matter. Not that he particularly minded. And order was an order, after all, and Viper was his superior.

" What do you want me to do?"

" You still have to duel Jaden, so don't worry about that. But what I want you to get out of the duel..."

" Yes sir?" Anticipation curled in Axel's gut. The air was heavy as Viper considered him. He stood a little straighter, puffing out his chest and trying to look as impressive as possible. Whatever he did, it worked, because Viper 'che'd quietly to himself and turned away, a clear sign that Axel had passed his test.

" I need you to scare him."

Unbidden, Axel's eyes widened by a fraction.

" Jaden?"

" Jaden Yuki is a remarkable boy in many ways. An exceptional Duelist and an actually well-rounded student, he seems to have something of a hero complex, if rumors are to be believed." Viper continued as if he hadn't heard Axel. That was the boy's cue to snap his mouth shut and not ask questions until Viper gave him the go ahead.

" But I want more than just the prowess he showed when dueling Anderson. I want Jaden's all, his energy and mind entirely focused on the duel. I want him scared for his life. I want him to put his _all_ into it."

Viper looked back at Axel.

" I'm sure you've heard stories about the events that transpired here last year?"

" About the Society? Yeah, I heard 'em. I didn't exactly believe them though, sir." They sounded too far-fetched, too unreal. A cult dedicated to an alien entity that wanted to destroy the world? It was like something out of a comic book, and Axel was nothing if not skeptical.

" Let me assure you that there is some truth to those rumors. There was a group of students who were taken over – a very large group, in fact, and the mastermind of it all ended up losing to Jaden. I understand that there was quite a bit of panic and fear that finally pushed Jaden over the edge last June."

The anticipation curled harder. While Axel couldn't see Viper's expression, he could feel the dark grin on the man's face, and it did nothing to sooth him.

" While I don't know the exact circumstances and what happened at the White Dorm remains a mystery, I know for a fact that Jaden dueled like he'd never dueled before against the Light, and the amount of effort he must have put into his victory would have had to be staggering."

There was a pause, in which Axel tried to figure out what it was that Viper wanted. As he puzzled, the man started to walk away.

" Scare him, Brodie. Scare him like the Light did. I want you to push Jaden to his limits, even if it costs you the duel."

" Sir?" Axel forgot about keeping quiet.

" Don't disappoint me, Brodie."

And then he was gone, leaving Axel alone with his thoughts.

Viper wanted him to scare Jaden. Okay, he could do that. He'd scared tons of Duelists back at West with the daily survival duels and his own preference for upping the stakes of a duel to almost life-threatening. He'd scared off tons of his classmates, because none of them could handle it. He'd yet to find someone to entrust his back to, because he was surrounded by a bunch of pansy-assed wimps who didn't understand that life was a battlefield, not a rollercoaster ride.

" Scare him, he says." Axel sat down cross-legged by the tree he'd been hanging from not too long ago. " How does he expect me to do that?"

The problem, Axel had realized, was that most of his opponents gave into conventional scaring. A threat to their lives, and they were running for the hills, screaming. But Jaden didn't seem the type. From what little Axel had seen of the boy, he was casual and laidback, but there was an undercurrent of power in his every move. That entire duel with Jesse, Jaden had fairly radiated strength, and under his banter, there was the calm, cool steel of a sword ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

' Jaden doesn't have a killer instinct, but he's got instinct.' Axel mused, grudgingly impressed. ' So normal scare tactics might not work. Especially if what Viper says is true and he's got a hero complex.'

Axel knew about hero complexes. If Jaden had one, then there was no question as to why he had beaten the Light and saved the school the previous year. He'd done because he wouldn't have been able to do anything else. Hero complexes led people to want to save others, to want to protect them and make everything right. It made them heroes, but it was almost a double edged sword, at times threatening to overtake the person, make them bite off more than they could chew. It also led to the danger of trying to justify the heroics, and make everything into a dangerous situation that needed a hero. Jaden didn't seem the type, but Axel didn't know him too well.

" Still," he muttered, more comfortable with speaking out loud. It was a habit he'd picked up from running profiling ideas by his mother. "...A guy like wouldn't be scared with his own life in danger. Hero types usually are the self-sacrificing types too."

' So, a martyr then?' He could hear his mother coaxing him. It was easier to pretend she was there, helping him figure the conundrum out.

" Maybe not a martyr. He'd do it, but I don't think that's his first instinct." Axel mused. Above him, the sky darkened and the first stars began to shine.

' But he's definitely a hero type.'

" Yeah. Look at his monsters. He probably read too many comic books as a kid."

' Idols?'

" I'd say so. But that kinda guy...he won't get scared if I dangle him offa cliff. Well, kinda scared, but not pleading, oh-please-don't-do-this scared. Not put-his-all-into-it scared. Viper wants him scared like how the Light scared him. Enough to duel with everything he's got."

' How did the Light scare him then?'

" Don't know."

' Think, Axel.'

He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms. It was turning out to be far more difficult than it should be.

" The Light...from what _I_ heard, this Light things pushed him too far and left him no choice."

'What did It do to leave him no choice?'

" Attacked the school, attacked the world. That kinda thing. Messed pretty hard with his friends, the way I heard it."

' But why did_ that_ leave him with no choice?'

" Because his friends were on the li-oh." Axel froze, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

' That's my boy.' His mother's voice congratulated as Axel let her image fade from his mind. He couldn't believe he'd overlooked something so simple. If he couldn't make Jaden fear for his own life, he'd have to push him by making him fear for _someone else's._

The question was who to use. Axel didn't fancy a tussle with the dark-skinned Ra boy who hung out with Jaden. He looked like he could go a few rounds in a physical fight and he walked like military. Alexis Rhodes had a brother who would tear down mountains to get her back, and he'd heard she was no push over when it came to brawling. Chazz Princeton was in the same category as Adrian Gecko: rich, connected, and probably being counted as high-priority by the school, so touching him wouldn't be a good idea. Besides, he seemed like the kind of guy who'd spend the entire duel bitching and whining, and that would ruin Axel's concentration. He wanted to focus on scaring Jaden, not fantasizing about strangling his bait. One of those Obelisk Blue girls that hung around Jaden might have worked, but Axel didn't fancy breaking into the Girls' Dorms just to kidnap one of them. That Academic might have work as well, but he'd seen the way the group converged around her like a pack around its young. Too much effort. Plus, rumor had it that she was Aster Phoenix's girl, and Axel didn't want an angry pro star breathing down his neck.

Just as he was about to exhaust hi options, Lady Luck smiled at him. A small figure in blue came strolling through the brush, smudged with dirt but looking proud. His Bio Band was blinking, indicating he had finished his duel of the day. He paused when he saw Axel, grey eyes wide.

" Um, hi." He said, looking at the wire in the tree and the large boy sitting before it. Outwardly, Axel's face didn't change. Inwardly, he smirked like a man who'd won the lottery as he recognized the boy.

' Hello, bait.'

* * *

Axel didn't know it, but he could not have chosen a worse hostage.

Syrus did not handle capture well. His time as a prisoner of the Sacred Beasts had changed him irreversibly. While the Light of Destruction had pretty much left him alone in favour of breaking his friends the previous year, It would've had a hard time conquering Syrus. Chazz had an iron will; Alexis had the heart of a warrior; Hassleberry had the extreme luck of being a hybrid, and Jaden had within him something that would never bow to the Light.

But what his friends had undergone the preceding year was a lesson Syrus had already learned in his first.

Syrus had been taken, body and soul. He'd spent weeks cowering in a darkness that made no sense, noise and sight inverted in on themselves and only the roar of the Beasts for company. The meager protection offered him by his sacrifice kept the monsters from devouring him, but it didn't keep out their voices as they'd described, in excruciating detail, exactly what they were going to do to him once his protection finally gave out. He'd lived with that for weeks, with the knowledge that the moment they were able, the Beasts were going to rent him limb from limb and make him watch because, as they'd explained, he wouldn't die. His agony would last an age, and they'd devour him _slowly_, inch by inch until finally, when they rediscovered mercy or the world was remade, they'd allow him to die.

By the time Jaden had arrived to save him, Syrus had nearly gone mad. There had been nothing, nothing but the Beasts and the darkness and an eternity of pain that awaited him, and in the endless black, Syrus had broken. He'd sobbed and screamed and begged but it had all been inane noise. He'd forgotten words. He'd forgotten sunlight. He'd almost forgotten himself, until a soft silvery light had touched him with the caress of a mother on the brow of a feverish child, and then Jaden's hand had been in his own and he'd come back to himself.

Had the Light tried to take Syrus as one of Its followers, it wouldn't have met an iron will or the heart of a warrior, though Syrus had those too.

It would have found a flight-or-fight instinct jacked up to the highest possible setting, a default reaction that was gut-deep and mind-numbing. Unlike Hassleberry, Syrus was entirely human, but had the Light gone after him, Syrus would've have clawed and curse and spit and screamed until he'd threatened to kill himself in the process of ridding his body of Light. For Syrus, there was no longer a middle ground. There was freedom, or there was death.

The Beasts had taught him that.

He'd been remade that year as his friends had been remade in the last. The cracks inside of him had filled with something new, something that refused to yield before a greater force. Alexis had learned power. Chazz had learned strength. Syrus had learned about ultimatums and freedom, and, out of everything that had gone so wrong the previous year, those were the only two things he truly understood.

And of course, all three of them had learned that they'd follow Jaden into any hell.

So it was a terrible thing that Axel had chosen Syrus to use as bait to lure Jaden into a duel. The Western boy knew nothing about Syrus, only that he was small, and weak, and Jaden's close friend. Putting his life in danger would definitely spur Jaden into giving it his all, which would please Viper. That was the only thing on Axel's mind as he reached for Syrus' arm.

" Woah, hey! What do you think you're doing?" Syrus shouted, trying to evade the grab. Axel's fingers closed around his forearm, and the other boy started to drag Syrus towards the tree. Syrus dug in his heels for all the good it did.

" I said, leggo! If you wanna duel, fine! But quit being so rough about it!"

At that, Axel snorted.

" Me duel you? Please. I've got bigger fish to fry."

Syrus froze at the insult, then, to Axel's surprise, snarled.

" You leave Jay alone! He's got enough to deal with without you making trouble for him."

Axel shrugged, not really caring but a little impressed with the shorter boy's backbone

" I'm under orders." Why he was telling the runt that, he didn't know.

" So go ask Jaden for a duel. He won't say no! You don't have to do...whatever you're doing!" They were rapidly approaching the tree. Syrus was kicking his legs in protest.

" Sorry." Insincerely. " But this has gotta be a special duel, and I need Jaden tense and scared."

" And that involves me, how exactly?" Syrus growled, sounding more dangerous that Axel ever thought he could have. Still, it only made the other boy smirk.

" Jaden seems like the kinda guy who needs little incentive." Axel grabbed the frayed end of the rope on the mechanism.

" ...What?" Syrus' voice sounded faint. When Axel turned back, the boy had gone pale.

" You just better hope your buddy knows what he's doing." Axel reached for him and Syrus' struggles renewed, just a little more desperate than before. He actually managed to slam his duel disk into Axel's stomach and make the other boy wheeze in protest, but he couldn't get free. " ...D-Don't...Oh god...don't, please..."

Axel sneered.

" If there's one thing I can't stand, if wusses who start begging. It pisses me off."

" _Cease your pointless, whimpering pleading. Your cowardice disgusts us."_

Unwittingly, Axel had relayed to Syrus the same sentiment the Beasts had on a night long ago. Unwittingly, Axel had transported Syrus back into that unending blackness with roars and death around every corner. Unwittingly, Axel had triggered Syrus' honed flight-or-fight instincts.

Syrus went very still, staring at his captor without seeing him. Axel, believing that he'd frightened the boy into submission, reached around to loop the rope over his shoulders.

And then Syrus bit him.

Axel hissed as Syrus brought the hand still gripping his forearm up to his mouth and sunk his teeth into the fingers. Axel tried to shake him off, but Syrus held fast. A splash of blood splattered across Syrus' lips, but still, he held fast. It wasn't until Axel clocked him on the side of his head with a clenched fist that Syrus let go, falling back with a cry. Axel winced as he flexed his injured hand.

" Damnit" He hissed. He looked to where Syrus lay on the ground, blue bangs falling into his face. Axel stomped over and hoisted the boy up by the colour of his shirt, the rope forgotten on the grass.

" What the hell, you little shit-" He started, but was cut off as Syrus slammed his knee into Axel's already abused stomach. Axel's eyes widened, and he dropped Syrus, crashing to his knees with his arms around his middle. He coughed, his gut aching from the force of the blow. He hadn't though the midget had any kind of strength, but the blow had temporarily stunned him, and it was about to cost him more.

Syrus dropped to him feet, swayed, and then staggered forward. Axel caught wild, frightened eyes flashing through the gaps of blue hair before Syrus fell on him with a shriek, punching and clawing at Axel face until his fingers were red from the scratches on the other boy's cheeks. Axel yelped and fell back, trying to get out of range, but Syrus followed, shoving Axel onto the ground. He descended on the shocked exchange student like a storm of small fists and kicking legs, no finesse and all desperate, wild blows. Axel gasped and tried to grab one of the fists striking him, but Syrus had no pattern, no style. He was divorced from rational thought, an anile backed into a corner and lunging out of it, teeth first.

" You fucker, you fucker, don't you touch me, don't you _fucking touch me!_" Syrus chanted, half insanely, as he punched at Axel. The other boy, somewhere in the back of his mind, chided himself for underestimating Syrus Trusedale.

He caught one of the fists, threw his weight up, and pinned the crazed boy under him.

" Calm down!" He shouted. Syrus stared at him, his glasses askew, his hair messed up, his jacket rumpled.

He spat red into Axel's eyes.

As Axel reared back and bellowed like a wounded beast, Syrus slammed into him again, still chanting, though he'd devolved into the occasional curse and peppered his speech with wordless shouts of fury. Blood dripped down the side of Axel's face from several cuts inflicted by Syrus' nails. Blindly, Axel swiped at the air and was rewarded with a startled cry and the loss of weight at his front. There was a thump, and then silence.

Axel blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. When he could finally see again, he made out a blue figure lying on the grass, breathing erratically. A soft sobbing sound escape it, and guilt swirled in Axel's gut. He reached out a hand, but stopped, unsure of what to do.

Syrus raised his head.

He was covered in dirt smudges and green smears from the grass. He'd been cut by pebbles on the ground, and a bruise was starting to form on the left side of his face. His hair was sticking out at all angles, and his glasses were gone, glinting off to the side in the moonlight. His Obelisk Blue jacket was missing several buttons, and the collar was askew.

Tears streamed down his face, and his eyes were filmed over, clearly not seeing anything.

A lump formed in Axel's throat.

" H-Hey..." He tried, starting forward, but was interrupted as Jaden Yuki burst onto the scene in an explosion of red and anger.

" Get away from him!" Was all the Slifer said before ramming his fist into Axel's face. A little behind him, Hassleberry and Jesse dropped to their knees beside Syrus, who managed to crawl towards some bushes and was throwing up violently into them.

* * *

Sorry for being late. Computer trouble and such.

Also, I keep freaking out about this 'purge' going on. I mean, I know my stuff doesn't get sexual, because I have TOUCHED that, really, but uh...things might be getting kinda...violent later on. Not like, tastelss, here's violence for the sake of violence that most horror movies seem to be into, but uh...violence as a mood? Does that work? I just...I need it in order to set the tone of the story. I wouldn't say that it's gory...but it's not pleasant. And really, if the damn rating says M, then shouldn't the reader come in EXPECTING that sort of thing? It's just...I get that ff . net doesn't want to have smut on the site (that's what adultfanfiction is for), but uh, having a purge of stories doesn't sound like the best plan here, people. I mean, what if the violence or the sexual content is NECESSARY for the story? What if it's a murder mystery that needs to set the scene, or like mind, is mood-piece violence? What if the author wants to shock the reader, or immerse them more into the world of the story, and the violence or sexual content is a must? I mean, okay, PWP is...well, I've read my fair share, it's not really a bad thing, and sometimes, you just WANT that sort of thing. Sometimes, you just want to find a smutty fic about your OTP and just READ.

I can understand where they're coming from about the smut, but I think that they are being a little unfair to not only the authors, but the readers too. They are saying that they don't trust the readers to make their own decisions. They're so scared of some 13 clicking onto a M rated fic and reading smut (and honestly, in this day and age, who didn't let the Internet help them out with their sexual education? Hell, I learned about homosexuality from the Internet. It was a fansite for gay pairings in...oh, god, what fandom was it again? Something in the 90's...Beyblade! That's it! It was a fansite for the male homosexual pairings of Beyblade! And thus I was educated) that they are cutting out all the violence and smut. And isn't M, like, 18+ or something? Shouldn't the people who click it know what they're getting into? Let the readers take a little responsibility for themselves.

I'm kinda torn both ways, because while I can understand the reasoning, I also don't like the way they're going about it, I guess. I just feel like it's stifling for the authors and insulting to the readers. You don't trust them enough to make their own decisions, so you take the options away from them. Anywho who clicks onto an M rated fic should realistically KNOW what they are getting into. We put those ratings for a reason. And for that matter, what about fanfics based in worlds who already, canonically, HAVE a great deal of violence in them? DBZ? NARUTO? Both of those are based a LOT around fighting. It's hard to write a fanfic that isn't a shipping thing (and even then, sometimes) that doesn't bring violence into it. 'Reference to some violence'. What does that even mean? Can we still write fight scenes? How the hell are we supposed to handle a character like Sasuke, whose entire backstory is nothing BUT violence? Do we skirt around most of the stuff that shapes him into what and who he is? I just don't know.

Purge the smut, if you feel you absolutely must, we have other sites for that, but what on earth do you mean by 'References to some violence'? And why don't you trust the readers to make their own decisions. If some kid gets scarred by clicking the wrong fic, big whoop. We've all been there, haven't we? You realize you made a mistake, stay off the Internet for a little while, then get curious and go back and read some more. Lather, rinse, repeat. The site has given out the information. This rating is for people of this age, this rating is for people of this age, so on and so forth. If people still choose to ignore it, then it isn't the site's fault. Let people make their own mistakes, please.

And don't punish the writers because you're scared of someone learning about sex too early. It isn't fair.

Okay rant done. Wow, didn't mean to do that. I guess I just got caught up in the feelings. Anywho, back to the actual story.

So, Axel. Wel...He's not Adrian, I'll give him that. ...

I really don't know what to say about Axel. I mean, I kinda like him, in that vague, 'friend of a friend of a friend' sort of way. I don't DISlike him, but he never made that big of an impression on me. Hassleberry was quirky, but Axel is just...focused. Very, very focused. So I took that and did what I could with it. I named his dad 'Austin' because that was Axel original name (Austin O'Brien), and his mom Lua, meaning 'wolf', both because it was cool sounding, and it's a reference to 5D's. I couldn't resist.

I decided to make his mom a badass too. I'm apparently fond of doing this, given what I've done with Jaden's mother as well. In my head!canon, whenever Axel has a problem, he pretends that his parents are there and talks to them. It's his way of problem solving. It'll crop up from time to time, but I don't focus too much on Axel. I just...He's not as much fun to write as some of the others. It's not like Adrian, who I don't like to write because I don't like him. Axel is just...less colourful than some of the others. Between him and Chazz, I will definitely choose writing Chazz.

And Syrus. Oh, poor, poor Syrus. Why am I so mean to these characters?

...

Oh, yeah, I'm a sadist.

Well, I think that's it. I'll see you all next week for an interesting announcement!

MoS


	7. Consequences

Warnings: Why, hello there main plot about the Bio Bands! How lovely to see you again!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_. I don't own anything.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

It was a subdued group that hobbled into the infirmary.

" What happened?" Rhonda Fontaine shrieked, staring at the group. Syrus was being supported in between Jaden and Jesse, Jaden's signature red jacket thrown over his shoulders. He was roughed up, a bruise on one half of his face and blood drying on his cheeks. A little off to the side, Axel stood, his face downcast and not meeting anyone's eyes. He was covered in scratches and holding his stomach, looking like he'd been in a fight. Miss Fontaine didn't think she'd have to look far to find his opponent. Hassleberry was next to him, his own eyes jungle green and the pupils narrowed to slits. He growled every time Axel shifted.

Miss Fontaine might have been curious, but she was a doctor first and foremost.

" Set him down on the bed over there. You, on the other side of the room." She thought it best to separate the two boys. " I'm going to go grab the disinfectant. Don't let them anywhere near each other."

As she left, she heard Hassleberry give a warning growl.

" Sarge..." He said in a rough voice. She hurriedly grabbed the bottle, some cotton balls, and some bandages, and rushed back to the room. Tension crackled in the air, and Jaden had taken a step in front of Syrus to shield. Axel was still looking at the floor, but he'd have to be crazy to miss the way Jaden was looking at _him_. Eyes narrowed, face black as thunder clouds and a scowl pulling his lips, Jaden looked inches away from starting something. Only Hassleberry, shakily standing in between Jaden and Axel, was keeping the Slifer from lunging.

" Sarge, he ain't worth it." The Ra reasoned. The oppressive air of the room got heavier. Jaden took a step forward. Jesse seemed paralyzed by Syrus' bed, and the boy in question had curled into a ball and wasn't doing anything besides breathing deeply.

Jaden took another step forward.

" Jay, _please_." Hassleberry whispered. Miss Fontaine gulped, told herself she was being silly, and rushed into the room, halting Jaden before he could take another step.

" Okay boys, that's enough! Jaden, please move honey, I need to look at Syrus, and uh..." She looked around, realizing her assistant had gone back to his room an hour ago. As she fretted over how she was going to doctor Axel's cuts (which were worse than Syrus') without setting off the overprotective and simmering anger of Syrus' friends, the older boy spoke in a slow, remorseful tone.

" I can look after my own cuts. Just gimme the stuff." He held out a hand, still not looking up from the floor.

" That's not really regulation..." She hesitated, but Hassleberry made the decision for her. He calmly extracted the bottle from her hands, swiped several cotton balls, and moved away. He chucked them unceremoniously at Axel, who caught them, and then the Ra was carefully coaxing Jaden back towards Syrus without saying a word. Miss Fontaine slowly made her way over.

" Now, then. Syrus, sweetie, I need you to look at me." Syrus didn't move from his position. " I can't help you if I can't see the damage."

" C'mon Prahvate, 's just Miss Fontaine. She ain't gonna hurt ya."

Syrus didn't move from the fetal position, but he shook his head the tiniest bit. His face was hidden, buried in his arms.

" Sahrus?" Jesse reached out to touch him but a sharp look from the head nurse stopped him. Syrus was clearly dealing with something psychological, and he didn't come out of it on his own, then it was pointless.

" Syrus, can you tell me happened?" She prompted gently. Syrus shook his head, harder this time. " Please? We're all worried about you." He shook it again.

" Syrus..." Jaden whispered, his voice rough.

" I fucked up, that's what happened."

They all jumped as Axel's voice floated over from the other side of the room. Jesse stiffened and Hassleberry put a hand on Jaden's shoulder to keep him from rising out of his seat. Axel didn't look at them, at any of them, but threaded his fingers together in his lap and bowed his head as if in prayer.

" I fucked up." He repeated.

" _You _did this?" She pointed to the way Syrus was curling in on himself.

" I...Yes...but it was..." Axel shook his head, stuttering over his words. " One second I was tell him to be quiet, the next, he was screaming and crying and hitting me." He touched his now bandaged cheeks. " It was like he was possessed."

" What did you do to him?" Jaden's voice was rough and deep and commanding. Axel flinched, but didn't answer. Jaden took a step towards him and this time, Hassleberry didn't stop him. " What did you _do_ to him?"

" I wanted to duel you." Axel said at length. " And I was gonna use him as bait."

" An' Ah suppose askin' nevah occurred ta ya." Jesse deadpanned, anger written in every line on his face. Axel closed his eyes, looking like he wished the ground would swallow him up.

" I needed Jaden to give it his all."

" The Sarge always does that." Hassleberry looked dangerous. The air had gotten thick, and Miss Fontaine felt like the situation was a breath away from exploding out of her control.

Axel shook his head.

" No, I needed him scared, I needed him so afraid that he'd-"

" Hate ta burst yo' bubble here, Brodie, but not everehone subscrahbes ta y'r belief o' lahfe-on-the-lahne duelin'." Jesse snapped, eyes narrowed and cold. Axel's head shot up.

" I know that! I know it, but I needed to do this! I don't know what happened! He just...he..."

The was a silence, in which a very soft, very trembling little voice spoke.

" I got scared."

Syrus hadn't raised his head, and his voice was muffled, but it was there and it was more than he'd given them in a while. Jaden looked over his shoulder while Jesse ignored Miss Fontaine and put a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. Axel looked at the bundle of blue, frowning.

" ...I..." He trailed off, trying to think of something to say. " ...I didn't mean for it to...I'm sorry I scared you...I didn't want to...I..."

" Syrus," Jaden said suddenly, " is afraid of being trapped. The Sacred Beasts trapped him in first year, and you must've done something to remind him of them. That's why he attacked you. You made him feel trapped, and you made him remember what happened two years ago."

As dark as he was, Axel had gone pale. Apparently, tales of the Sacred Beasts had made it to West Academy, if his look of stunned horror was anything to go by.

" The..." He couldn't finish the thought. He looked a little green around the gills. His eyes flew to Syrus.

" Oh god, I'm sorry. I just...I...I'm so, so sorry."

" That ain't good enough." Hassleberry growled. Miss Fontaine looked between the two groups, struck mute by the air in the room.

" Tha' is so far from good enough it can't even see th' lahne anehmo'!" Jesse had risen to his feet as well, but as he made to go around Miss Fontaine and maybe start something, Jaden held up a hand. Jesse froze where he was, and Hassleberry sucked in a deep breath.

Axel lowered his head again, pensive and remorseful.

" Outside."

The dark head across the room shot up a second time to loo incredulous as Jaden.

The Slifer didn't repeat himself. He turned and... not walked, because walking was too choppy a word to describe the motion that Jaden did. He glided, appearing to cross the room in one stride. At the door, he paused, but didn't look back.

" You wanted a duel, didn't you?"

Axel started, jumping to his feet in surprise as the head nurse did the same.

" Jaden, wait a minute! Both Syrus and...uh..." She flushed brightly, glancing at Axel. " I'm sorry, I didn't get your name when you had your physical."

" Axel." He wouldn't meet her eyes. He was only looking at Jaden. " The name's Axel Brodie."

" Well, both these boys have been injured. This is no time for a due-"

" You coming?" Jaden asked as the door slid open. Axel, for his part, followed slowly, clearly aware of the fact that he was about to get trounced.

" Boys! This is hardly the momen-"

" Yeah, I'm coming." He walked towards the door. A minute later, the both vanished through it. The head nurse stared at it for a few seconds, blinking uncomprehendingly before huffing.

" _Honestly_." She put her hands on her hips. " _Boys._"

A sudden crash from the outside made her jump. Scrambling, she flew to the door. It opened automatically to reveal Jaden holding Axel by his vest, having slammed his against the large window behind him.

" Ow." Axel winced. " I get that you're mad but-"

He was cut off as a fist crashed next to his head.

" Listen up." Jaden growled. " You wanna duel? That's fine, come and find me and we'll throw down. But don't you ever – _don't you __**ever**_ – try and use my friends like that again. You got that? You ever pull a stunt like this again, and fuck dueling; I'll mess you up with my bare hands. I'll make you wish you'd never _heard_ of Duel Academy, we clear?"

" As crystal." Axel said through gritted teeth. Miss Fontaine fretted, unsure of what to do. Jaden held Axel's eyes for a moment or two, and then dropped him. Axel rubbed his shoulders where the vest had dug into his skin, and started to follow the other boy.

" There's a clearing a little north of the entrance that'll work. Hurry up."

And Miss Fontaine was left alone in the dark corridor, her hand outstretched, a nearly catatonic patient waiting for her inside her infirmary, and wondering what the hell happened.

* * *

No one ever really found out.

Axel and Jaden came back after an hour, Jaden in a better humor and Axel slightly singed around the edges. The boy from West had gone before Syrus, gotten down on his knees, and humbling begged for forgiveness. While it was entirely possible that Axel just really wanted to make amends to Syrus, Jesse and Hassleberry privately suspected that the humility displayed by the Western boy was the result of something Jaden had done. They said nothing though.

Syrus, who had forced his way out of his shell over the hour Jaden and Axel were gone, had accepted, but weakly joked that if Axel did it again, Syrus wouldn't hold back. Axel had nodded, assured him it most certainly would _not_ happen again, and thanked Syrus for forgiving him. He'd explained his motives, a little, citing that he was under orders to duel Jaden. When pressed about whose orders, he shifted uncomfortably. Still, it was obvious that he owed the group something after the mishap of the night, and he'd opened his mouth to answer.

Then the Bio Bands on his and Jaden's wrist had started flashing, and they'd both collapsed where they'd been standing.

" So, just poof! Out like a light?" Alexis asked as she stood over Jaden's slumbering form. Lia was at her side, sneakily and gleefully taking pictures. On the other side, Blair alternated between fawning over Jaden and checking her vidphone for messages.

" Yes, out of nowhere!" Miss Fontaine looked frazzled. " It wasn't enough that the duel disk had to have Automatic Shutoff placed on them, now there's this sudden acute fatigue?"

She picked up a folder from her desk, waving it around.

" I've been checking and double checking his medical files! With the way he keeps landing himself in here, I've had to make copies just to keep up!"

" Anything in there?" Blair asked. Lia had given up photographing Jaden and traded places with Blair, playing with her own vidphone.

Miss Fontaine looked ready to start pulling her hair out.

" Nothing! Not one thing! No deficiencies, no anemia, no nothing! The boy is fit as a fiddle!"

" I never understood that term." Lia muttered. " Is it all in his head?"

" I thought of that too." She sighed. " I've put in a request with the subdivision of KaibaCorp that handles all our medical paperwork. I asked for any psychological records regarding a Jaden Yuki, age 17, from Tokyo, Japan. Jaden's a pretty unique name, so hopefully my request gets transferred quickly. But I just don't know. If it's all in his head, then why did Axel collapse as well?"

" And my friend Marcel was feeling woozy just a couple days ago." Blair informed the doctor.

" He didn't come in?" Miss Fontaine frowned. Blair shook her head.

" He didn't think he had to. I made him go right to bed, though."

" Hmmm." The head nurse sighed, cupping her chin. Alexis glanced at Lia, who shook her head minutely.

' Don't even think about it.' Her eyes said. ' That power's never done this before.'

For emphasis, she touched the lacy embellishment of her white tank-top, resting over her collarbone. It was spotless. Alexis nodded.

" Hey, why's everyone looking so serious?"

The three girls jumped and Miss Fontaine nearly fell off of her chair in shock. Jaden sat up in the bed, yawning and stretching his arms.

" Oh man, I feel like I've slept for hours. How long was I out?"

" Jaden..." Miss Fontaine looked nervous. Jaden blinked at her. " You've been unconscious since last night."

He stared at her.

" Don't you remember?"

" I..." His eyes suddenly sharpened. " Where's Axel?" His tone wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't exactly nice.

" He woke up an hour ago and just left." Alexis said. Lia scowled beside her.

" We heard about what happened." The brunette pushed a strand of hair behind her hair. She's taken to wearing it down and loose and it looked dark against the scoop-necked green top she had on over the tank-top.

" And by that, we mean Lia tried to kill him, then Ben showed up and tried to kill him, and then _I_ tried to kill him." The blonde said sardonically.

" Of all of us, Lexi came the closest."

" I still like Ben's threat, though. ' I'll throw you off a cliff, no rope.'"

" 'Let's see how you do.'"

" Ben musta been furious." Jaden murmured. " She just got Syrus to agree to go out with her last June."

" Agree is a strong word." Alexis laughed. " She scared him into it."

" He likes her." The boy shrugged, then turned to lie back down. An arm shot out and blocked his descent. He opened one eye.

" Oh no you don't." Blair said. Jaden opened both eyes and blinked at her.

" Hi." She beamed at him. " Have we met?"

" Ja-aden!" The girl whined. At moments like that, it was easy to remember that she was only going to be 11 in the new year, no matter how quickly her body had developed. She was only allowed into the school by grace of getting so far in the GX Tournament. She had no Academic classes on her timetable, and she avoided them like the plague. She was Duel Academy for her dueling skills alone. In reality, Blair was probably only at the 5th grade level at most with her academics.

Of course, that had nothing to do with her crush on Jaden, and she flung herself at him

" It's me, Blair!"

" GAH! Get off!"

" Never! I worked really hard to get in so that I could be with you!"

" Aren't you, like, _eight?_"

" I _was_! Two years ago! Now I'm ten!"

" You're not old enough to here!"

"But I wanted to be with you!"

" I'm _17_! There is way too much of an age gap there!"

" Is not!"

" You're _ten!_"

" Technically, I'm closer to 11."

" That doesn't make it okay!"

" Don't worry, Jaden. Our love with be able to overcome the barriers of time!"

" No, no it won't because there is no love! None!"

" You'll be falling for me before you know it!"

" No, I _won't!_ Get off!"

" That's not a nice thing to say to a girl who spent the last few hours soothing your feverish brow!"

" How many romance novels have you read?"

" And, uh, he wasn't feverish. Just sleeping."

" Lexi's right."

" Shut up, you two. I'm trying to invoke the Florence Nightingale effect!"

" ...Please don't."

" What Lia said."

" I feel trapped."

" It's okay, darling. I'm here now."

" _Darling?_"

" ..."

" ..."

" _Alexis! Lia! Stop laughing and __**HELP ME!**_"

Mercifully, for Jaden, help came in the form of Syrus and Hassleberry, carrying several colourful boxes.

" Uh, Jay?" The smaller boy asked, taking in the scene. Jaden was half off the bed from trying to get away from Blair, who was hanging onto his neck like it was the last day on earth. Lia and Alexis had dissolved into peals of laughter in the background, and Miss Fontaine was bent over another medical folder at her desk, clearly having given up on them. Syrus held out a box.

" Um, a bunch of girls and a couple of guys just walked up and shoved these into our hands."

" Couldn't understand a _word_ they were sayin'." Hassleberry muttered as he deposited some of the boxes at the foot of the bed.

" Um, they said they were for...Juudai-sama?"

Jaden went pale, somehow managed to extract himself from Blair's grip, and vanished under the bed.

" Aniki?"

" _They've found meeeeeee._" Came the hiss from under the sheets. Alexis, still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, peered into one of the boxes.

" Looks like lunch to me." She poked the food. " With hearts."

" And who the hell is 'Juudai-sama?'" Lia asked, leaning around Alexis to look. Below them, Jaden whimpered, and avoided Blair's arm groping around for him.

" Only one group of people calls me 'Juudai-sama', and they're usually batshit insane and want me to take their Valentine's Day chocolate and I don't want to, oh god!"

" You've turned down chocolate?" Alexis asked skeptically.

" In Japan, when a girl gives a guy chocolate that isn't obligation chocolate on Valentine's , then she's confessing her feelings!" Jaden hissed again.

" Obligation chocolate?" Syrus blinked.

" That's the kind girls give to their friends! But honmei choco is usually handmade and it represents the girl's feelings! And the people who kept giving me honmei choco called me 'Juudai-sama'!" He whimpered from down below.

Alexis and Lia looked at each other over the box of food, smiled, and promptly burst out laughing again.

* * *

Someone requested that Jaden have a fan club.

Ask, and thou shall receive.

Sorry about being late today, there was a bit of a...let's just say _hassle_ with my school and my schedule for this coming year, and leave it at that. I have been drained all afternoon, and I just drew character profiles for a Fairy Tail character I've been creating for a fanfic that is in the works. No title yet, although I do have a summary. AccessBlade, you know what I'm talking about. This fic will probably hit once I'm done Part Two, because after that, Imma need a break from Yugioh for a while and the Fairy Tail fandom calls to me.

Anywho, here we are. Axel's punishment and Jaden's reaction. I kinda want to leave what happened between then for you guys to decide for yourselves. Nothing I can come up with will be as good as what you guys think might have happened.

If I have previously called Miss Fontaine 'Fonda', I apologize, because that is a continuity error now. Her name, in Yearverse, is Rhonda. Fonda is a nickname that she got in medical school, when her friends would joke about people being 'fond of Rhonda', which eventually became 'Fonda'. Rhonda is Greek name meaning 'Rose'. I meant it as a reference to her hair.

I'm still kinda tired out after the mad scramble I had to make this afternoon, so I'll cut to the chase right away.

Special Announcement Time!

Starting on Wednesday, August 1st, and going through to the 31st (as best I can manage, because you know, shit happens and I DO have an apartment to move back into) I will be posting one chapter a day to celebrate the last month of summer. As previously stated, I have 68 chapters pretty much ready to go, aside from some editing and such, so I think I can afford to do this, don't you? *wink*. So, starting this coming Wednesday, one chapter a day until the end of August.

And quick note that has nothing to do with anything, but I'm brain-dead and tired and I want to fangirl, goddamnit, please tell I'm not the only one whose GajeelxLevy heart skipped a beat at the sight of him wearing that headband at the end of last week's chapter (also, 'Our Hearts Combined'. ...Wait for it...Are you now Captain Planet?)? I mean...It's just...GAH! The ship tease! It teases me with shippy-ness! God I hope they end up together. So cute!

Sorry, fangirl moment over. I hoped you like this chapter, and see you all next week!

By which I mean this coming Wednesday!

MoS


	8. Touches

Warnings: Adrian 'I am a slimey bastard' Gecko, and the return of Slapshipping.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" I like it here."

" Hmm?"

" Seriously, I can see why you enrolled here last year."

" ...You can see why I had a baseless grudge against Jaden?"

" Was _that_ how it happened?"

" Well, it was a little more complicated than that, but essentially, yes, that is what started it."

" You had a grudge against _that guy_? Why could he _possibly_ have done to you?"

" Like I said, more complicated than that, but long story short: similar decks and happy-go-lucky attitude equals pissed off and stupid Aster Phoenix."

" The Great Aster Phoenix, admitting that he's wrong?"

" Cram a sock in it, Gecko."

" Okay, okay, touched a never, gotcha."

" So why did _you_ agree to come here?"

" Well, I am the best East Academy has to offer."

" And you're so humble about it."

" Is sarcasm on the curriculum here, because the classes are doing wonders for you."

" You wit is leaving me speechless. Just answer the question."

" Why do you wanna know so badly?"

" I'm just curious. The best of the best gathered in one place? Seems kinda suspicious."

" How so? Maybe Kaiba just wanted to show off his prized baby to the rest of the world."

" He owns all the branches.

" Yeah, but the sister schools are like the unloved redheaded step-children. Duel Academy is his _baby_."

" You gotta wonder how his kids feel about that."

" Probably like they can never live up to their father's love."

" And on that depressing note, let's move on."

" Alright, alright, I coulda said no to coming here, but really, why would I? It's basically a paid vacation, and Duel Academy is a legend at the other schools. It's where it all got started. Years from now, this place will probably be a museum. They'll take tours through the classrooms and there'll be a gift shop by the duel arena."

" You've really thought this out."

" It was a long boat ride over."

" What, and the pool wasn't open?"

" Oh, it was. But Shirley was in there. And I wasn't risking it."

" I thought Jim said he's got her under control."

" Dude. It's a five hundred pound reptile with pointy teeth. I'm not interrupting her swim time."

" Well, at the very least, it's not like she'll be that much different than most of the environment."

" We're in the tropics. I didn't know crocodiles liked the Pacific Ocean."

" Look to your left."

" Huh?"

" Just do it, Adrian."

" Fine, fine."

" Now what do you see?"

" ..A palm tree?"

" Very good. Now look to your right."

" Is there a point to all this, or do you just enjoying fucking with people?"

" The latter is very true, but I do have a point."

" Okay, I'm looking to the right."

" And what do you see?"

" A pine tr-Wait."

" No, it's cool. I'll just stand here and wait for your brain to catch up."

" But-what-_how?_"

" I don't know. But it snows here in the winter."

" ...What."

" Yeah. We had a snowman building contest last year. Well, some of us."

" What."

" And snow ball fights. And I understand that there is the occasional 'Rap Battle on Ice' skating contest. I've never gone, but that should be fun."

" ..."

" I broke your brain didn't I?"

" Rap...Battle...?"

" I don't get it either, but hey? What're ya gonna do?"

" How does that sort of thing even come into being?"

" Welcome to Duel Academy. Please don't feed the Sacred Beasts."

" What does that even mean?"

" There was an incident two years ago."

" An incident?"

" I don't really know the details. You'd have to ask Jaden and his friends."

" That seems to be the case with a lot of things around here."

" Jaden just always seems to be the thick of it."

" What's he like?"

" What'd ya mean?"

" I mean, I know he's a nice guy and all that, but what's he really like?"

" ...Hard to say, really."

" C'mon."

" No, I just mean...Jaden's not someone who lends himself to description easily. He's...He's just beyond description some days..."

" That's encouraging."

" You'll understand once you get to know him better."

" Hmm, one more goal to add to the list then."

" List?"

" Of things I wanna do at Duel Academy. You know, look around a bit, see the sights."

" You make it sound like this place is already a museum. Beside, pardon my assumptions, but you don't look like the tourist type."

" Doesn't mean I can't be excited. And maybe I wanna show off a little for you guys from DA."

" That's why you came? To show off?"

" Well, it helps that they told me I was the best at East, I won't lie."

" But..."

" But when a man like Thelonius Viper makes a 'request', you listen."

" I can see that. He gives off some major danger vibes."

" Oh, you noticed those too? Try being stuck on a boat with him for a week. Now granted, he didn't leave his room too much, but the presence was still there."

" Hey."

" What?"

" As someone whose spent more time with him...do you trust him?"

" Like, do I think he's psychotic? Oh, definitely. The man is the mentor of Axel Brodie, Mister Thrill-Issue. Viper's got a military history, you can tell. And between you and me, I think he's taken one too many grenades by the head, you catch my drift?"

" Is he dangerous?"

" Only if you don't try hard at dueling. The man's a slave driver. Didn't you hear his little speech last week on the roof?"

" That's not really what I meant."

" Hmm?"

" ...Look, things..._happen_ at Duel Academy. No rhyme or reason, they just do. We're probably better off trying to suss them out ahead of time. So I'm asking you, do you think Viper is a danger?"

" ...Well, he's got all the makings of a megalomaniac, if that's what you're asking, but to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I haven't really paid attention to him all that much, too bored out of my mind."

" Was it really that bad on the ship?"

" I reiterate:A _long_ trip. I was so happy to see land I almost cried."

" Sounds like it sucked. I hope you have a pleasant stay here."

" Oh, I will. There are certain...advantages to Duel Academy." Adrian leaned over the rim of the railing. " And there goes a group of them now."

Down below, Lia, Mindy, Jasmine and Abeni walked past, chatting amiably. Lia disentangled herself from the group for a moment upon spotting a duel just a little down the crest of a grassy knoll. Her camera was up in her hand in a moment and she snapped a picture of two before her group noticed her absence. Mindy came to stand at her side while Jasmine leaned against a nearby tree, casually observing. Abeni bounced between them, smiling and chatting away.

" They don't make 'em like that at East." Adrian grinned. Aster merely raised his brow, saying nothing.

" You're lucky. You've been going here for a _year_." Out of the corner of is eye, Adrian saw Aster's fist clench as he continued to stare at the group.

" That brunette with the long hair is pretty cute. She's an Academic, right? I'm supposed to find out stuff about the Program and how it works. Think she'd been interested in helping me?"

" Who, Lia?" Aster sounded casual, but the flash of his eyes said differently. " If wanna talk to her, you gotta get past her security detail. And Atticus Rhodes doesn't impress too easy."

" He's seeing her then?"

" Nah, more like she's his sister Alexis' best friend, so she's like his sister too." Aster shrugged. " Either way, it's your head, not mine."

" Where you going?" Adrian asked as he watched the other boy make his way to the stairs. They'd run into each other on one of the balconies at the Blue Dorm.

Aster half turned back.

" Class, where else?"

" Uh, classes were cancelled. Viper's orders."

" _Duelist_ classes were cancelled. Academic ones are still going, and I have Physics in 15 minutes. Later."

He started down the stairs, and Adrian turned back to observe the quartet of girls. Mindy and Jasmine were yelling encouragements at the two Duelists. Abeni was playing his her vidphone, obviously debating whether or not to call Syrus. And Lia herself had settled down on the grass, fiddling with her camera and only half paying attention to the duel. Adrian smirked.

" Oh, Adrian!"

He turned as Aster called back to him. The silver-haired boy threw a smirk equal to the one Adrian had been sporting not ten seconds ago.

" Stay away from my girl, okay?"

* * *

It was pouring, and Lia was soaked.

" Damnit, where'd this storm come from?" Jasmine groused as she ran. Behind her, Mindy pulled Abeni, who was more fond of sudden showers than most, along. Lia brought up the rear, her camera hastily shoved into the pocket of her jeans shorts.

" Who cares, just run!" She answered, swiping a soaked bang out of her eyes.

" Aw, c'mon, can't we stay?" Abeni whined, even as Mindy gave another tug.

" No." Both Obelisk girls said as one.

" I pity anyone who decides to stay out in this." Jasmine yelled, heading for the safety and relative dryness of the entrance to the school. Mindy followed her, Abeni protesting all the way. Lia made to, but stopped as something caught the corner of her eye. She slowed from a run to a walk to a complete stop, still panting from the exertion. She turned her head.

' Oh, of all the stupid, ill-thought out, moronic ideas-!'

She turned away from the entrance and was running off the path before she even realized it.

" Lia!" She heard her friends call her name, but she waved them off.

" I'll catch up with you guys later!"

Dodging around a few of the trees that led into the forest, Lia managed to skid to a stop before she ran face-first into one.

" Graceful." Aster observed with a wry grin. She glared at him. After all, he had no right to look so dashing with his hair plastered to his head and clothing weighed down with water.

" Shut up." She glared. How dare he make it so hard for her to insult him. " What do you think you're doing?"

" Avoiding the rain?"

" You're doing a lousy job of it."

" You're one to talk."

" Do you _want_ me to leave? Because there's a school entrance just a few meters back where my friends are that I can go to."

" So why didn't you?" Aster grinned. Lia, despite herself, went red.

" Because!" She said after a moment of dithering. And crossed her arms before stomping over to lean on the tree trunk next to him. He bumped his shoulder with hers.

" _Because_?" He prodded, still grinning. She didn't look at him.

" Because you're hopeless on your own at the best of times, and you get even worse when it's raining!"

" You were worried about me." She didn't look but she could _feel_ those eyes on her; bright and blue and as clear as the skies in late September. Her heart thudded in her chest.

" Shut up!" Was it possible for her face to burn off? Because it felt like it was going to. Aster finally let her out of his eyes. They stood in silence for a while, only the sound of the raindrops hitting the leafy canopy above the disturbing the quiet. Lia took several deep breaths and reminded herself that her heart was not pounding loud enough to deafen her because Aster would not do that to her, no matter how deep his eyes were or how tender the look in them was or how he had looked at her last year, like she was the only person in the world.

No one had ever looked at her like that, and before her, there appeared a precipice.

" You're still wearing it." Came Aster's voice. Lia blinked and realized, to her horror, that her hand had betrayed her. Her fingers were tangled in the chain of the necklace as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

" It was a present! I'll wear it if I want to!" She snapped, and this time, she couldn't deny the hammering of her heart. Aster seemed to do that to her, lately. From the moment he'd sworn to fight for her, something had shifted in their relationship. There had been a change, and every touch seemed electrified, like there were live wires touching just under their skin. One look from him and her knees went weak. It was like Bastian all over again except a thousand times worse.

Her heart seemed to never stop, only it did, and when it did, she was sure it was never going to restart again.

Her palms were sweaty every time she thought of him, and she was doing that way too often for it to be healthy.

Mindy and Jasmine were constantly teasing her, looking over her shoulder all the time, trying to read the name on the screen of her phone, grinning like Cheshire cats and asking if she was talking to him.

Hell, half the school still thought they'd slept together, and if one more person asked her about that, she was going to kill him.

It was nothing like Bastian. She'd been invisible with Bastian, just one more person in the crowd, just one more figure in his group of friends. As kind as he'd been, Bastian had never made her feel like she was something special. She'd wanted him to, but there had never been a moment when he'd looked at her, and only her. And likewise, there had never been a moment when she'd felt the world stop moving under her feet when she looked into Bastian's eyes. When she felt time slow to a stop and everything in the world hold its breath as those perfect, blue eyes found hers and looked, not through her, but into her; and instead of feeling defensive and violated and scared, the calm that washed over her, and desire to let him look as much as he wanted, terrified her more than her tongue-tied attempts at romance with Bastian. There was steady thrum in her body that was belied by the rush of heat that swept through her, dulling her senses and shutting her every nerve down until, in that bubble of silence and stillness that came in the moment after their eyes met or their hands touched, all there was or could ever be was him, knowing her so completely and finding now fault with hr obvious flaws. It was the greatest gift anyone had ever given her, and it was so different from her previous crush that her memories might as well have been doused in palest pink and rosiest red.

Bastian had made her swoon.

Aster made her burn.

As the rain pounded on and Lia played with the chain aimlessly, Aster glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, smiling like a loon.

" Glad you like it so much."

She huffed, unable to keep the smile off of her face.

" Idiot."

* * *

I'll admit it, this one is totally for me.

Also, I had to weasel Adrian in there because...he's slimey and I want to set him up as slimey and god, I hate writing him. All of the hate. So much hate. Fuck you, Adrian Gecko!

This chapter is a bit of a break from the plot, mostly because I want to establish some Lia/Aster interaction before everything goes right to hell. Because trust me, everything is going right to hell. And I'm not even sure they get a nice hand-basket to ride in. I just want to have a few scenes of the two of them together before we have to get into the real meat of the story, because after that, we've crossed the point of no return. We're not quite there yet, but we will be soon. Enjoy the cute-ness while it lasts, people.

Sorry for taking so long with this one. I had to go present shopping for my friend this morning, and it took a while to find something for her. She's not picky, it was just...you ever have just one of those moments, when you wanna get someone something awesome, and you just CAN'T find the right thing? Welcome to my mid-morning-afternoon. I found something, and I think she'll like it, but...it took a while.

So, yeah. One chapter a day from now on. Let's do this thing.

What do you think? An extra chapter today because it's the first of the month? Let me know!

Lia: I _despise_ you.

Sticks and stones and you know you adore him.

Lia: I most certainly do _not_!

Lia?

Lia: WHAT?

...You're playing with the necklace again.

Lia: GAH!

She's still in denial here, people. Give her a little time. And a grueling trip through hell. Followed by another one into a world that might hold some answers for her. ...I just realized how fucked up I've managed to make this series. You guys are in for...should I say a treat? 'Treat' really isn't the best word to use here. You're all in for something, that much is for sure. Definitely something.

So did anyone see the latest _Naruto _chapter today? (Don't own it, by the way). Ha! In your FACE masked asshole! Literally! And then in your shoulder! Mess with the best, die like the rest! Kakashi, Naruto, Gai, fuck him the hell up! And just wait until everybody else gets there! Who else wants to see Sakura punch the statue? Please, Kishimoto-sensei! Please, please, please! Just one awesome punch at some point, that's all I'm asking. Bonus points if it's aimed at Sasuke when he and Naruto finally have their showdown. Or, you know, if Sasuke shows up while they're still fighting...Oh god, what do we CALL him now? I'm gonna go with Masked Asshole. Yeah, if Sasue shows up during that fight, and is acting all superior and talks down about Naruto, please have Sakura either punch him, or tell him to STFU again, because that was epic. Like, 'Oh no, jackass, I might be in love with you, but NOBODY talks shit about the man I will follow to hell and back! You and me! Let's go!'

Gah, I can't wait for Fairy Tail to update this Friday. I'm still riding the headband high or GajeelxLevy-ness, and no one and nothing can take me down. That's a ship tease, it has to be. I mean, Levy's headbands ae ICONIC. And now Gajeel's wearing one? She must've given it to him! Oh please, PLEASE let there be a flashback at some point about her helping him get ready, or her giving him the headband for good luck, and...and...blushy, ship-teasing goodness! KYAAAA~!

...

Whoa, sorry, inner fangirl got away from me. Calm down, MoS.

...

So much headband ship tease! EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE~!

Lia: Yeah, she's gone. Let her know if you want another chapter- seriously, she has to ask? You people deserve AT LEAST that much for putting up with her crap and she KNOWS it- and she'll get on that.

Listen to the cute little tsundere.

Lia: Who the FUCK are you calling a TSUNDERE?

MoS

Lia: Hey! HEY! We're not done here! Get back here you stupid bitch! _HEY!_


	9. Complications

Warnings: ...A bad attempt at an Australian accent and equally bad attempt at Australian slang that I got off of a website on the always reliable interwebs?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._ I don't really own anything, come to think of it.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" Dahno DNA."

" Yes."

" _Dahno DNA._"

" I don't know how I can make this any clearer."

" _Dahno. DNA._"

" Yes already!"

Jesse face palmed.

" Doesn't anythahn' normal happen 'round here?"

Jaden glanced away from the duel to just stare at him.

" You _did_ come here the last two years, right?"

" Yes?"

" And yet, you're asking that question."

" Eh, cut him some slack, Aniki." Syrus leaned back against a tree to watch. " He hasn't been here 24/7 for two whole years. I mean, comparing to the Shadowriders-"

" –and the dueling monkeys-"

" – and the duel spirits that come alive randomly-"

" –and the evil, uber-rare cards hidden in the basement-"

" – and evil apocalyptic gods, Hassleberry's leg is just kinda..."

" ...Run of the mill?"

" Yeah, that works."

Jesse stared at both of them, his jaw not unhinged from his face, but hanging open a little.

" ...How're you boys still _alahve_?

" We are very, very, _very_ lucky." Jaden said seriously.

" That, and Jay comes through in the end."

" Now that, Ah noticed." Jesse favoured the boy in question with a searching look. Jaden's shoulders sagged.

" Yeah, yeah, I know. All hail the mysterious power in me."

" Ah'd rather not, if it's all th' same t' you."

" Hey guys?" Syrus interrupted before Jesse could start –for lack of a better term – sulking about Jaden's strange powers. " This just occurred to me. Why was Jim carrying that machine thing that measure vibrations around?"

There was a pause. Hassleberry activated Volcanic Eruption. Off in the distance, one of the mountains that Jurassic World had spawned starting spewing lava, large gobs of reddish-orange molten rock pouring down the side and flying into the blue sky overhead. The earth began to shake as the mountain kept pumping out lava. Of all the figures on the field, only Jim's Fossil Dragon Skull Guard seemed unperturbed by the natural disaster, the massive, hulking monster simply swaying along with the rolling of the ground under its feet.

" This is ace, mate!" Jim called, looking like he was having the time of his life. Syrus scowled.

" Oh sure, an earthquake, and he's acting like he's on a rollercoaster."

" They both are, Sah." Jesse sighed. " Ah knew Jim was a li'l off, but this is goin' too far."

Jaden said nothing. He simply reached out, grabbed each of his friends by their collars, and hauled them out of the way of a stray stream of molten rock.

" ...Ah don't feel safe anehmo'."

" Welcome to my world."

" Well, enjoy it whahle ya can, Jimbo, 'cus this card's got a drawback." The lava raced down the mountain towards the clearing. Hassleberry smirked. " Both of our monsters get destroyed, along with all the cards we have on the field!"

" Oh _Jesus_!"

" These are _new_ boots, ya crazy assholes! Ah _just_ got these!"

" It's useless." Syrus muttered as Jesse and Jaden hopped their way out of the lava. " You know what he gets like when there are dinosaurs around."

Jaden turned to look at his friend. Sure enough, Hassleberry's eyes were lively and gleaming as he took in the dueling field around him. He was grinning a slightly manic, slightly feral grin that Jaden had only seen once or twice. Hassleberry looked entirely in his element, and far, far too happy about the lava creeping about his feet, and the shaking sky. Jaden cast a glance over at Jim. While he looked significantly less enthusiastic about the loss of his monster, there was a gleam in his one good eye that was reminiscent of Hassleberry's smile.

" Oh god." Jaden whispered as realization struck him. " There's _two of them!_"

He retreated back to where Jesse and Syrus stood. Jesse looked equally freaked out, but Syrus was smirking a little.

" And now you know how we feel when you and Jesse are in a room together."

" Hey!"

" Syrus!"

" What? You two are like twins!"

" We are not!" They shouted in unison, which sort of destroyed the argument. Syrus laughed lightly. Around them, Jurassic World vanished, thankfully taking the lava with it.

" Ah am not lahke Jay!"

" Nice to know you think so highly of me."

" Tha's not what Ah meant an' ya know it."

" Please." Syrus goaded. " You're like Jaden with a southern accent."

" Which kinda begs the question," Jaden mused, " if you're from _North Academy, _why do you have an accent from the southern United States? Chazz said North was up in Scandinavia."

" It is. Ah'm just originally from down south. My guardian lives in Norway, though, so tha's where Ah spend a lot o' mah tahme."

Jim was staring at the empty field.

" Well, Oi'll be stuffed. You rooted me good there, mate. Didn't see that comin' a moile off. Li'l shonky though, destroyin' your own cards as well."

There was a silence, in which the four boys, both the one dueling and the three others, stared at the older boy.

" Jim," Jesse said at length, " Ah lahke ya just fahne. But Ah can't hardleh understand a word tha' comes outta yo' mouth."

" Dills." Jim grumbled as Hassleberry pulled a card out of his deck to summon.

" How did you guys communicate on the boat?" Jaden asked, genuinely confused. Jesse shrugged.

" He talked an' Ah occasionally nodded. Ah may have agreed ta sumthahn's Ah will eventually regret."

" More than you regret the Skittles swimming pool?" Syrus asked slyly.

" _Where did we fahnd tha' many Skittles?_"

" Weeellll..." Jaden glanced skywards. " There is that 15 second video of us on an 'adventure', maybe we found them during that."

" Aniki, the adventure was our trip to the mainland grocery store."

" Are you saying that trying to get on a ferry while drunk is not an adventure?"

" Why would you consider it one?"

" Syrus, we could have easily ended up halfway across the world."

" Jaden, that's crazy."

" One time Natsuki-chan and Shin-kun got drunk with Kikyo-chan. They woke up in Sapporo."

" Okay."

" Sapporo is on Hokkaido! _They woke up on Hokkaido!"_

" You keep saying that like Japanese geography means anything to me."

"_It's an entirely different island than the one they were on when they started drinking!"_

" ...Okay, that is cause for concern."

" You see why going to the mainland was an adventure?" A large, brown golem like creature arrived in a flurry of sparks on Jim's side of the field. " Okay, what just happened?"

" Ah dunno. Ah wasn't payin' attention."

" Why not?"

" 'Cuz Ah was gettin' interested in th' Sapporo story."

" ..."

" Aniki, don't wince at other people's pronunciation! You don't do it with me."

" Yeah, ya don't do it with Sah."

" Syrus can actually say the words. And if you ever say 'Say-pour-roe' again, I will deny knowing you until my dying day."

" Whatevah. How'd they get back from Sapporo."

" ...Now you'r just doing it on purpose."

" You two were either meant to be related, or meant to get married."

" _What?_"

" Just sayin'."

" Do ya _want_ me ta let Topaz Tiger naw on yo' liver? 'Cuz Ah _will_. Ah will an' Ah'll feel good 'bout it!"

" Have you been talking to Akimi-chan?"

" No, that's Lexi."

" ...Why is Alexis contacting Akimi-chan?"

" Ain't tha' th' girl ya gotta give 'payment' to evereh tahme ya want her ta do sumthahn' fo' ya?"

" ...And you make fun of Jim's accent."

" Tiger. Liver. You."

Jim hauled up a skeletal version of Hassleberry's Sabersaurus, and it landed on his side of the field.

" It just hit me. This is _Jurassic Park_: The Duel."

Jaden blinked.

Jesse blinked.

Then they both started snickering,

" Oh, g_awd_, he's raghght!"

" So does that mean that the T-rex is gonna show up? Or the velociraptors?"

" They can open doors, you know." Syrus chimed in, which set them all off again.

From where they were dueling, Hassleberry watched his friends collapse into a snickering pile, and sighed. Jim followed his gaze.

" Whoi do Oi get the feelin' tha' Oi should be spewin' roight 'bout now?"

" Just play the card, soldier."

* * *

" Wait, say that again." Jaden insisted.

After Jim and Hassleberry had finished dueling (and Syrus, Jaden and Jesse had stopped laughing and quoting the _Jurassic Park_ rifftrax), the group had wandered away, deciding that looking for the source of the strange vibrations wasn't worth Hassleberry, or Shirley (who was a good deal scarier and had sharper teeth) going crazy and possibly attacking them. Jim had agreed, hoisted Shirley higher up onto his back, and walked around with them, chatting happily with Hassleberry about dinosaurs and, in particular, the strange surgery the boy had undergone.

" Ya serious there, mate? There's a dinkum dinosaur bone in tha' leg o' yours? It ain't a furphy?"

" Ah know tha' one!" Jesse had declared, delighted, as the rest of them tried to piece together what Jim was saying. He'd sighed and repeated himself several, which cause Syrus to make a vow to buy an 'Australian to English dictionary' before the year was out.

Eventually, they'd figured out that he was simply asking if Hassleberry was in earnest, and they'd stop to let him show off the scar from the rush surgery. Jesse had still been mind-blown that such things actually happened, but Jim had almost been beside himself with delight, poking the scar as though it would pop the bone back out for him to examine.

" Tha's a rip snorter o' a story ya got there, mate. Makes me a li'l jealous."

" I'll assume that yer complimentin' me."

As they wandered around the campus, pointing out things to Jim and the few things Jesse had actually managed to miss, they'd stumbled across Alexis, Mindy, Jasmine and Jessica, all of whom were gathered under a large maple tree (and Jim was having a bit of trouble understanding that yes, there were maple and pine tree on the tropical island in the mid-Pacific. Sometimes, they were next to each other). They were occasionally staring up into the foliage with varying expression of concern and weariness.

" Hey guys! What's up!" Jaden had called. Alexis had waved them over, only blinking at the side of the crocodile strapped to a man's back.

" This is Jim." The man (because Jim really was a man; there was no other way to describe him. He felt so much older than them all that calling him a boy seemed insulting) waved.

" G'day, Sheila. Noice ta mee'cha. This 'ere's Shirley." He pointed to the reptile on his back. Alexis blinked.

" Okay." She took his outstretched hand, shaking it. " Alexis Rhodes. That's Mindy, Jasmine, and Jessica."

" Whah are y'all standin' over here?"

" Lia ran up the tree."

There was a pause. Then,

" Come again, darlin'?"

" Lia." Alexis pointed to the tree. " She's up there."

Another pause. This time, it was Jaden who broke it.

" Wait, say that again."

" Lia. Is up. A tree."

" _Why?_" Syrus asked, confused.

" Prolly 'cuz there's no roof." Jesse joked, his shoulders shaking a little with mirth.

Which came to an abrupt end as a book shot of the leaves and smacked him dead centre of the forehead.

" Yowch!" He grabbed his head. Jaden bent to pick up the book.

" Dude. She threw_ Notre Dame de Paris _at you."

" Yeah, it felt lahke it."

Jim peered up at the tree. A moment later, a pale hand stuck itself out from between the leaves.

" Can I have my book back please?" Lia's disembodied voice floated down. Jesse quickly snatched the novel out of Jaden's hands before he could comply.

" Ah dunno, are ya gonna throw it at me 'gain?"

" Probably."

" Then darlin', this is comin' back ta Norway with me."

There was another pause, this one filled with the glare that none of them could see, but all of them could feel.

" Bitch." Lia said at length, and then there was a shuffling as she retreated back to higher ground.

" Koneko-chan, why are you hiding up in the tree?"

" Um, well..." Mindy paused, wringing her hands. " There was kinda...an...incident..."

" She's making too big a deal of it." Jasmine waved off Mindy's concerns. " If it was me, I'd be flattered."

" But it's not you, it's Lia." Alexis turned back to the leaves. " Lia, just come down."

" Nope."

" You can't stay up there forever."

" I don't plan on it."

" So you're coming down?"

" Eventually."

" Can I get a timeframe?"

" ...When Adrian Gecko leaves."

" Adrian?" Jim stepped forward. " What tha' bloke do?"

" ...I don't know who you are and I don't feel comfortable discussing my personal life with you."

Jaden immediately shuffled Jim out of the way.

" What happened, Koneko-chan?"

There was another pause, during which Alexis considered climbing the tree and forcing Lia down herself. But then she spoke, probably because the tone Jaden used wasn't one to be ignored.

" He's creeping on me! I got to my photography class, and there were hibiscus flowers on my desk!"

" They were very pretty." Mindy added unhelpfully.

" How do you know they're from Adrian?" Jaden pressed. Lia let out a mournful wail.

" He caught me after class. He asked if I like the flowers and then he put one behind my ear and asked me to his party tonight and I was freaking out and then he left and the seats are _randomized in photography how the fuck did he know where I was sitting?_"

It probably went without saying that it took them over 45 minutes to coax Lia out of the tree.

It also went without saying the Jim's first impression of her was of an innocent little girl who needed to be looked after. Whether it was an accident or if Fate had a hand in it, Jim had decided that Lia need protection, and unlike Atticus, Jim Cook did not make productions out of things. While he never saw her face, Jim had decided that Lia was someone who needed protection, and he didn't mind providing. In the middle of these contemplations, the weariness and fatigue that he'd been battling since they'd started walking finally overcame him, and he stagger on his feet, the world going dark. Somewhere off to the side, Hassleberry did the same.

The last thing Jim saw was a figure in green sliding down the tree trunk as the rest of the group converged on the two Duelists.

And Lia Shanner unwittingly gained yet another protector.

* * *

Jaden looked up as Chazz entered the dorm.

The room was empty, save for the Slifer. Hassleberry and Jim had finally collapsed after looking put out for a while after their duel. They'd been asleep for almost 24 hours. It was a little worrying. Syrus and Jesse were watching them, Syrus periodically leaving the room to try and get a hold of his older brother. Jaden had been left to his own devices, most of the school attending Adrian Gecko's party. Jaden had not received an invitation because, as Adrian had put it when he'd caught up with Jaden a little after lunch, he didn't want to stress Jaden after he'd collapsed. Jaden, who was still wary due to Adrian's sudden interest in Lia, had nodded, thanked him, and left.

" You take a swim in the ocean?" Jaden asked, lobbing a towel at his soaking friend. Chazz caught it and started wiping off his face.

" Dueled Gecko. Lost." He said shortly.

" And?"

" I was right." Despite his loss, Chazz looked smug. " The bands are to blame. I wasn't trying nearly as hard as Gecko was, and I'm still upright. He's down for the count."

" Viper'll give you a bad grade." Jaden teased, but Chazz huffed.

" Yeah, like I really care what some energy sucking psycho thinks of my dueling skills. Listen, I think I figured out something. You know how you were wondering why Hassleberry and that croc guy didn't collapse right away?"

" Yeah?"

" You mentioned vibrations. I think they disrupted something. You said their bands didn't glow right away after the duel."

" No, they didn't start glowing until we starting walked around. We had about fifteen minutes before we ran into Lexi and the others."

" The glow indicates that the bands are draining out energy. It might have something to do with that symbol we couldn't make out." Chazz tossed the towel onto the lowest bunk-bed.

" We need to get a good look at those bands, Jaden. I know it's not much to go on but-"

" Chazz."

Jaden wasn't looking at him. He was staring out the window into the every darkening sky. A calming presence filled the room, and Chazz's tenseness melted away.

" I trust your judgement."

* * *

Ask, and thou shall receive!

A second chapter to celebrate the one-a-day special I'm doing for August. This one involves a little more plot at the end, as well as the dino episode which, let me tell you, is just as painful to sit through the second time. It's just...I can't...so much bad dialogue people. So much. I mean, occasionally, 4kids managed to hit something funny but uh...yeah, no, not here. Also, Jim is distracting. Stupid, sexy Jim. I mean...Gah! That accent. All of that accent. It's like...vocal crack. ...Which are two words I never thought I'd ever have the opportunity to use together. Thank you, fanfiction.

Anywho, yeah. Dinosaurs. And I had work in the 'Jaden with a southern accent line'. It was something that just _needed_ to exist in this continuity as well. And all that remains of subplot that I scrapped that involved Adrian hitting on Lia throughout his stay, mostly to get on Aster's nerves and partly for his own sick satisfaction. It has since been cut down to a flower, and a little creeping. And no, no one will be telling Atticus about this, because it is entirely possible that he has managed to smuggle a harpoon gun in, and is not afraid to use it. So, yeah, no. No Atty.

And I wanted Lia up a tree. Because.

Australian slang is awesome. I promise to try and make Jim as incomprehensible as possible when the mood allows for it, because Australian slang is incredibly fun to write. To add to the confusion, I'm not gonna translate it. . (slash) . This is where I got it from. Go, my children. Learn. Laugh. Understand Jimbo over here.

And now for something completely different

In a review for the last chapter, someone asked me why I chose Aster to be Lia's boyfriend. Well, truth be told, that's kinda hard to understand. Not because it doesn't work, but because they haven't yet become the people I need them to be, and therefore, I don't know if the fact that they match up so well is obvious. I mean, a few things are. Their shared daddy issues for sure. But that's just a starting stone. That's just how they initially connected. Basing their entire relationship off of that is kinda insulting to their characters, because there is so much more to each of them than just 'my dad is dead.'

So let me try to explain, as best I can (I apologize in advance for this):

I said Aster was in love with Lia that day after they got drunk together. That was kinda a lie. For him, rationally, for his head and his mind, that was when he fell for her. That was when his mind up and decided that she was compatible with him and smart and pretty and all the things that his rational mind needed in order to feel that way about her. But Aster's less rational mind, his heart/soul/spiritual self/whatever you call it, that part of him, the deepest, darkest part of him (think Lia and her 'chasm inside of her' here), that didn't fall in love until the moment Lia stole his deck and tried to run off to fight Sartorius. That was when he truly, completely, irreversibly, irrationally fell in love with her. That was Aster's point of no return. After that, he couldn't fall out of love for her. After that moment, it was Lia, or it was no one. In that moment, she became _it_ for him. And I'll tell you why.

Lia reminded him that he had worth.

Up until that moment, everyone _wanted_ something from Aster. They wanted him to be a money-maker, they wanted him to be a hero, they wanted him to be a part of the Society, but no one wanted just him. Everyone wanted Aster Phoenix, the pro-duelist, or Aster Phoenix, the childhood friend, or Aster Phoenix, the maybe-Chosen One. No one wanted Aster Phoenix, the boy. In fact, no one had wanted that since his father had died. The reason Aster had such low self-esteem and the reason not being the hero almost broke him was because _that_ was what people put value in. He was basically told that his only worth came from being the hero of the story, and if he couldn't do that, then his life was meaningless. No one since his father told Aster that there was value in just being him, in simply being Aster, not the duelist, not the hero, but the fifteen-year-old who had been hurt, who wanted to do the right thing, and who maybe, like most teenagers, was still unsure about who he was. Nobody told him that that was okay, that he had time to figure it out. No, he had to know who he was, and if he wasn't who everyone wanted him to be, than he was worthless. That was what he'd been told, and that was what he'd latched onto. When he wasn't the hero anymore, after he felt that he'd failed his father, then he was just plain Aster again. And that meant he was nothing.

But Lia was willing to fight for him. She saw him as something worth fighting for and protecting. She was willing to risk life and limb to bring Sartorius back, a man who had assaulted her and hurt her friend, solely because _Aster loved him_. Not Aster the Duelist. Not Aster the Hero. Aster. Plain old, weak-minded, totally worthless in his mind, Aster. She placed a value in him simply being himself that no one had up until that point.

She reminded him that he had worth, and that helped him figure out how to be strong again. When Aster realized that, even if he made the wrong choices, and even if he lost, everything he did was out of love, he was finally placing value in himself again. Even if he wasn't the one to stop the Light, he loved Sartorius, and he loved his father, and he loved Lia, and that _meant_ something, whereas before it didn't. Lia made Aster see that, to quote _Revolutionary Girl Utena_'s opening theme, 'Rinbu Revolution' there is "...the value of being me." And he was able to become a stronger person because of it, accepting that while he might not be who everyone wanted him to be, just being him is enough for the moment. Even if he doesn't know exactly who he is, he can puzzle it out, and he doesn't have to be ashamed. He only needs to live up to his _own_ expectations.

I'm not saying that Aster bases his self-worth off of what Lia thinks of him. That has the potential to be very, very dangerous, and can lead to a level of dependency that is honestly scary. No, Lia just flat out told Aster " You have worth just as yourself.", and Aster found those words to be true. How can I put this? ...Oh, I know. Aster doesn't want to be a better man for Lia. He wants to be a better man for _him_. He wants to live up to the value Lia placed in his feelings and dreams, and he wants to prove, to himself, that he can be that person she sees him as. And remember, Lia doesn't have Aster on any kind of pedestal. She doesn't have anyone on any kind of pedestal (except maybe Jaden. But the way Lia and Jay feel about each other is on a level all its own). She knows Aster is flawed, and stupid, and a whole host of other things. But she values him just the same, and she knows he can be the hero if he wants to be.

Aster loves Lia, not because she makes him a better man, but because she reminds him that he can be, and challenges him to fulfill that potential.

He loves her because she changed his whole world without ever trying to change him.

Which is kinda the same reason he works so well with Lia. He hasn't tried to change her, or make her into something.

Let's compare with her relationship with Atticus. Atticus, while loving and protective and kind, is trying to make Lia into his damsel. His experiences have left him scarred, and he feels constant guilt for what happened at the Abandoned Dorm. He wants to try and make up for it. He wants redemption for what he sees as the murders of the Academics that came along, mostly because it was at _his_ urging. He wants the chance to save someone else from their fate. And he wants it to be Lia. She is young, confused, and most importantly, not a Duelist. She is every friend he lost that night, with the added bonus of being damaged in her own right. If he can save her (from what, he doesn't know), then he will have paid for his crimes at the Abandoned Dorm, at least in his mind. He needs Lia to fill this role, because if she doesn't, then his last hope of redemption is gone. Atticus fails to realize that what he needs to do is sit down, and really, _really_ think about what happened that night. Instead of chasing redemption and absolution, he should make his peace with it, no matter how long that takes or how painful that road is, and then move on with his life. Because Atticus hasn't moved on, not at all. Every minute of everyday, he relives that night. He calculates his every move by the events of that night, figuring out whether or not he will be brought closer to redemption or damnation. He treats Lia as his key. He loves her, don't get me wrong. His promise to protect her was made out of the deep, abiding love he feels for her, and a sense of duty as Yasmin's lover to take over her position. But there is an element of selfishness there.

Even Alexis and the girls are trying to fix Lia, to make her into an ordinary, carefree girl. They try to treat her like one, not realize that they are hurting her more because Lia _is not an ordinary girl_. As you will all eventually see, Lia is nowhere near an ordinary girl. But the fact that they are actively trying to 'fix' her, and make her live in their worldview means that even they are trying to change her.

Aster does none of that.

Aster smiles at her, takes her laughter and her anger, and just stays beside her, occasionally talking, occasionally teasing, and never once, not for one second, saying, " Your pain makes you abnormal. I want to fix you and heal you." Aster accepts that Lia's pain is, at this point, an integral part of her. Lia has carried her pain with her for so long, used it as a shield against the world for so many years, that it is as natural to her as breathing. To be told that it is 'abnormal', or that she needs to be 'fixed' is jarring and isolating. When Jasmine teases her about liking a boy, she does so in a way that is over the top and reminds Lia that it isn't exactly normal to be so jittery around males for a heterosexual girl. Intentionally or not, Jasmine is telling Lia, " This is what normal people do. You are not normal, so I'll just have to try and make you." It doesn't occur to her that having her father walk out on her makes Lia distrustful of men. Now, granted, Lia is being oversensitive and taking things way too personally and over-analyzing the hell out of things, but there it is. Her friends (not Lexi so much anymore, because she isn't normal now, either), while making Lia feel welcome and loved, also remind her that she isn't quite like them, and she needs to be 'fixed'.

Aster doesn't make her need to feel fixed. Lia doesn't feel isolated when he treats her like a normal girl because he has suffered the same pain she has, and he _understands_. Aster has never made a move to 'fix' Lia. He doesn't push her to talk, just stays beside her until she's ready. He also doesn't try to save her, like Atticus does. Instead of trying to keep her out of harm's way, Aster acknowledges that a life like that would never make her happy, and instead accompanies her into the belly of the beast as a partner. He treats her as an equal, not someone to be protected, but someone to be taught, guided, and then placed at his back. He might not always _like_ it, but he accepts that it is who Lia is, and is becoming, to venture into the thick of things.

Aster has never once impled to Lia ' You are damaged, so let me heal you.' He has all but said. ' You are damaged. So am I. Let's go get ice cream.' He is the only person not trying to heal her, and so, he is the only person that has really started to. He is the only person Lia feels comfortable enough talking about her father, her mother, and her mother's relationship with. In 'Snapshots', I pointed out that Aster knows as much about Lia as Jaden and Syrus (well, that's up for debate), while having known her for a shorter period of time. When Aster and Lia had their Domino City Rain Scene, Aster revealed to Lia that he was just as broken and hurt as she was. There is a gaping hole inside of him just as sure as there is one inside of her. Lia, who has never dared show that to anyone, for fear that they will find her 'ugly on the inside', was shocked, awed, and _honoured_ that Aster showed that part of him to her. Aster proved to her that he was braver than she was, and the fact that he _trusted_ her with that part of him that mirrors the part of her that she both needs and despises, rocked her world. That is why she is able to see the good man Aster can be. Because she's never seen him as anything else after that day. But the point of the matter is this: Aster showed Lia that he is no different than her, and so did something in one moment that took Jaden, Alexis, and the others many months to accomplish:

Lia _trusts_ Aster.

She trusts him to understand. She trusts him to keep her secrets, because he knows how much those can hurt. She trusts him to not be repulsed by the uglier parts of her, because he's already trusted her with the uglier parts of him. Aster is the only one Lia isn't afraid to be completely, utterly herself around, because he won't run from that chasm inside of her, and he won't tell her that it's strange and it needs to be fixed.

He'll simply ask her if she wants to get ice cream with him, and then flirt with her.

Just like she reminded him that he had worth, Aster inspires Lia to be strong enough to do what he did: To move on, and find something to make life better again. I won't say that she's in love with him yet, because she's still pretty deep in denial, but there is something there, and not even Lia can't argue it away.

The reason I see these two together is because, simply, they make each other stronger, and they make each other want to be better without pinning all their hopes of happiness on the other person. They make each other want to be better for _them_. Aster wants to prove to _himself_ that he can be the good man Lia sees in him. Lia wants to become the kind of person Aster is in order to like herself. They want to be better for themselves, and the only person who can really bring that out in them is each other.

Okay, I guess I can sum it up like this:

They make each other love themselves, which is something no one has ever really given them before.

Okay, rant over. Sorry about that, it got away from me. And sorry about changing tenses all over the place, that was really 'stream of consciousness' there. And fun fact. I started editing at like, ten after nine. That took about an hour to get straight in my head and write down.

Anything else before I sign off? Oh yeah, Chazz vs. Adrian.

My Chazz doesn't lose to Mr. I am a slimey Bastard. At least not unless he's throwing the match, because my Chazz? He is way to awesome to lose legit to Adrian. He was testing out a theory of his, and he had to lose in order to prove it right.

But mostly, I just can't stand the idea of my Chazz, after all the shit he's been through and everything he's managed to accomplish, losing to that asshole. Yearverse!Chazz isn't comic relief anymore. He is a soldier in his own right, and he is strong. He forced Exitium to an ultimatum, and he doesn't lose to Adrian Gecko unless he was doing it on purpose. I won't degrade him like that. I just _won't_.

Well, this was fun! I'll see you all tomorrow for the next chapter!

MoS

P.S. No. The Skittles (Do I really have to say that I don't own it?) will _never_ die.


	10. Breakthroughs

Warnings: There is a slimey bastard in this chapter. Do with that what you will.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Adrian always had a plan. He may not have the specifics, and he was used to ironing new wrinkles as they showed up, but he _always_ had a plan. In many ways, though he would never know it, he was similar to Axel Brodie. There was an eventual goal, and a path to said goal that he had to take and make adjustments for as it got rockier. That, at it's very base, was what both their lives revolved around, although given that the two got along about as well as a cat and a dog were supposed to, it was very unlikely that they've ever realize it.

But Adrian had a plan.

And at the moment, that plan revolved around getting to know Viper.

" So he was military?"

" You got it." Echo's voice sounded from the video feed on his open laptop. " Colonel Thelonius Viper. He reportedly saw some serious action during the Pacific Stabilization years in the early 2010's." A folder opened on the computer, running down a list of numbers. " There was one particularly dangerous mission in and around New Guinea in 2012. His tour finished after that, and he was honourable discharged. He'd joined the military in order to pay for a course, so he had that to fall back on, but there's nothing to indicate why he left in the first place."

Adrian paused, frowning in thought.

" When does he show up at West Academy?"

Another file opened, this one showing a picture of Viper on the corner. The label at the top of the page read 'West Academy Teaching Faculty'.

" Around 2 and a half years ago. September, 2022." The date began to flash read.

" There's a ten year time gap there." Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose.

" Well, you didn't exactly give me much warning. This was all I could do with an hour." Echo sounded a little put out and reprimanding. But she somehow remained prim and proper, despite the irritation that bubbled just under her tone. If he hadn't known her as long as he had, he would've missed it. Hidden by the hand he was using to rub his face, Adrian smiled.

" I would think that the Gecko Financial Group would spring for better computers."

On the screen, Echo frowned at him.

" Don't blame the computers." She chided. And immediately cut him off when he opened his mouth. " And don't blame me either. You were the one who requested the information in such an absurd timeframe, so you have no one to blame but yourself."

" You're being mean, Echo." He pouted at her. It was an expression that he'd used throughout their childhood together to coax her into doing things for him that she might not approve of, like sparing with him in the dead of night in the training hall. He'd only done that once though. Echo might be the best friend he'd ever had, but even Adrian had enough masculine pride for it to sting when he'd had his ass handed to him by her. He'd assumed that his prowess in the boxing ring and Echo's apparent lack of fighting style to guarantee him a victory. He'd forgotten that the Geckos hadn't just given him Echo as a friend.

She was the head of his security detail, and a prodigy in her field.

In fact, Adrian wasn't even sure Echo was her real name. She'd hinted once that it wasn't; that it was merely a codename given to her when she'd left her mysterious training facility to come and work for the Gecko Financial Group. He'd been the heir then, and Echo had just been the first friend he'd ever had. He hadn't wanted to think about the fact that she was being paid to stay with him and watch him. He hadn't wanted to think about the fact that her real name might not be the one she'd given him to call her. He hadn't wanted to accept the reality that the person he knew might not even exist; she might just be a persona created to best do the job. He'd ignored that part of their relationship that threatened to ruin everything they were, and went on pretended that Echo was Echo, and she was his friend because she liked him.

Shamus had changed that.

" Quit looking at me like I took your ice cream away. That look hasn't worked on me since we were kids."

This time, he didn't bother hiding his smile.

" Fine, you win." He ignored the fact that she just looked at him. Of course she'd won. She _always_ won. " Anything else?"

" I sent the data you managed to upload to be analyzed. They're still working on it," and who 'they' were, Adrian had no idea. He trusted Echo, though, to handpick the best of the best for the job, " but what they've got so far is looking like a storage device that doubles as a transmitter."

" So I was right." Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smirked.

" Viper is definitely collecting something and sending it somewhere." She looked back down at the report in her hands. " From what they've managed to figuring out by reverse engineering different parts of the device, we figure it hasn't got too large of a radius; it'd be limited to the island, if it can even reach from one end to the other."

" So there are no ships or bases around Academy Island that could pick up the signal?"

" I thought of that and had a crewman do a radar scan. Nothing. Not one blip. We're alone out here."

" Good." He leaned back in his chair, and reached over to fiddling with his tape recorder. "Let's keep it that way."

" We've already entered stealth mode, and the cloaking device is prepped for activation."

" Jamming signals?"

" At full blast."

" And this line is secure?"

" As much as we can make it." She didn't so much as blink at his warning frown. " There are always risks, Adrian. We can send out as many jamming signals as we want, but someone somewhere could get lucky. We had a breach at the Facility once and-" She cut herself off, immediately looking way from the screen to hide her flush of humiliation.

The first rule of Echo was that 'the Facility', whatever it was, was never spoken of and if it was, never in detail.

" Go on." He encouraged, leaning forward. Echo didn't follow suit, which was unusual, because they mirrored each other's movements and postures. It was a hallmark of all the time they'd spent together.

" That's classified."

Adrian scowled. He hated those words. He hated that Echo wouldn't let him know more about her. He hated that he had to pretend to be her closest friend without really knowing anything. She knew everything about him, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, and he didn't even know if her name was really her name. It was something he'd become aware of when he'd started working for the Gecko family as an agent.

When he'd stopped being a son.

His hands clenched where he'd steepled them.

What he hated most about the words was the transformation that came over Echo when she uttered them. Like a light going out or a door closing, all the life went out of Echo's eyes. Her face became pallid, her expression dim, her entire stance so stiff she could have passed for a store mannequin. The human part of her that was his oldest friend vanished like a snuffed out candle, and it her place was the head of his security and the best agent the Gecko Financial Group had. Adrian still didn't know what his family had paid to get Echo, but he knew it must've been a lot. Echo was the best; there was no way around that. But part of what made her the best was what was staring him in the face: the closed off, robotic agent that had been raised at a 'facility', and never spoke of her past.

It was the Echo who had, one dark and frightening night, calmly, ruthlessly, and efficiently, cut her way through a group of kidnappers to rescue him, leaving only one alive to take back for questioning. She'd arrive, pale in the moonlight and not a drop of blood on her clothing, to cut him loose, speaking only in the briefest of sentences. He'd been twelve, and, upon being discovered by a woman holding a gun, she'd stabbed the woman in the neck and ducked out of the way of the resulting spray, never once getting her clothes dirty.

She'd spoken to him in that dead voice that night, when he'd cried for the first time since his birth parents had died, and begged her to tell him who she was.

" _That's classified."_ She intoned, and closed the door of the limo that was going to take him home. She'd remained behind to talk to do a little investigating before the police arrived.

He'd hated those words ever since.

" I know." She still didn't look at him. He sighed angrily. " I _know_, goddamit, I know. It's classified. I won't pry."

She raised her head a little, one eyes visible under the brow of her cap.

" Thank you." She whispered. Adrian nodded.

" So, anything else?"

" You're gonna want to try and find some place that can house the equipment needed for this kind of operation." Echo's voice was back to her normal, brusque tone. She was all business as she read off the report. " You said Viper claimed that the Bio Bands are for measuring duel energy and that he had a computer that would translate heart rate and adrenaline?"

" That's right."

" Well, chances are there _is_ a computer, and the programs that'll be one it will have to be pretty complex. The amount of space needed to process this kind of collection isn't going to be in a class room."

" So I'm looking for an underground, evil guy lair." At that, Echo's lips quirked in just the tiniest little smirk.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be underground. Isn't there a volcano behind that school? You could always try up there."

Adrian winced.

" Uh, no. After that trip we took Alaska, I'm done with volcanoes for a while."

" I found it to be very invigorating."

" Is _that_ what you call suspending yourself over lava? Because I call it crazy."

" So is this why you don't let me pick our vacation destinations anymore?"

" You'd probably drag me up Everest or go rock climbing without a harness. You have thrill issues, and I happen to like my face the way it is."

Echo didn't say anything, but the way her eyes were gleaming it was clear that she thought him a wuss. As proper and business like as Echo could be and was almost 24/7 (Adrian suspected that she was proper and business like in her _sleep_), when on vacation, Echo preferred to choose dangerous situations to get herself (and anyone foolish enough to accompany her) into. Danger tourism seemed tailor-made for Echo, and he could often find her pouring over brochures about war zones and recently evacuated bomb sites.

Adrian didn't bother to point out that it was insulting to the people who'd lived through the horrific events, and insulting to the locals who just wanted to rebuild. Echo didn't have many pastimes (if she had any; her entirely world had been dedicated to him since the day he'd met her), so he'd let her have at least that.

" Yes, I suppose it would be a shame to ruin it." Adrian preened in front of the laptop as it ran scans of the island with the help of the machines onboard the Gecko-1. " After all, what would I aim for in our sparring matches then?"

Adrian facefaulted.

" Echo-o!" He whined as he climbed back into his seat. " You're really mean today!"

" Maybe you're just overly sensitive. Isn't school challenging you anymore?"

" So _now_ you ask how school's going? Jeez, took you long enough. Weren't you the one who took me out for double scoop ice cream sundaes when I got into East?"

" And weren't _you_ the one who swore to never leave me alone until I did?"

He winced. Okay, point to Echo.

" Since you're dying to know," did she roll her eyes at him? It had been too fast for him to be sure, " I should tell you that school is great. The campus is gorgeous, the accommodations are gorgeous and the students aren't too hard on the eyes either."

Echo looked at him sharply.

" Adrian, you had better not be skirt-chasing."

" 'Skirt-chasing'?" He laughed. " What decade are you from? Relax _Mom_, I'm just having a little fun. There's this one girl-"

" Adrian." Echo said warningly. Whether she was upset about him being frivolous or about him playing with someone feelings, he couldn't tell.

" No, no hear me out. You know Aster Phoenix, right?"

" The pro star?"

" Yeah, he's enrolled at Duel Academy. And he's got this girl he likes."

Echo sighed, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

" Adrian, what did you do?"

He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture.

" Nothing! Just sent her some flowers and flirted a little. I can't wait to see the reaction on Phoenix's face when he finds out."

" You are the worst." She was still trying to ward off a headache, apparently. He shook his head.

" Nah, it doesn't mean anything. And who knows? Maybe this'll make Phoenix get a move on. He's acting like he has all the time in the world, which is stupid, 'cuz this girl's _real_ cute and-"

" Did anything happen that _doesn't_ revolve around you making an ass of yourself?"

Uh-oh. Echo was mad. Clearly, she thought his good-natured fun was cruel, and she didn't like it. He'd probably be told to stop if he continued messing with Phoenix and his girl, or, failing that, be threatened with a grounding. And Echo was the only one who could make that into a legitimate threat.

" Well...let's see..." He purposely paused in thought just to get to her. When he heard her teeth grinding, he knew he'd succeeded. " I dueled Chazz Princeton."

" And how did that go?" She sounded marginally less like she was going to thrash him in their next sparring match that she'd made mandatory after that disaster that night so long ago. She maintained that she should not have been able to beat him so easily, a belief that only intensified when he became an agent alongside her. Adrian both feared and loved those matches. The only thing that could match a good duel was a fight with Echo. When she fought him, when he tried his hardest to give her a challenge (because he had yet to beat her), then her veil fell away completely. In those moments, he saw the real person Echo was, whether she was 'Echo' or not. In her eyes, the heart of her was reflected, and when he saw it, Adrian finally felt a little closer to his best friend.

Speaking of good duels...

" I think he was holding back."

" What?"

Adrian leaned all the way back, staring at his ceiling. In his mind, he played the duel over again, his mind's eye focusing in on Chazz's bored expression and lack lustre moves.

" He just...wasn't into it. It was like he had better places to be. Which is insane because really? What's better than a party thrown by yours truly?" He shot her a grin that had her rolling her eyes again, which he actually caught.

" You ego aside-"

" Hey!"

" – why would he do that?"

Adrian shrugged.

" I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I mean, I'm a good Duelist. I should've been able to get him into it."

" How did the duel end?"

" I won." He frowned. " Too easily. Princeton wasn't trying at all."

" Maybe he's become bored with dueling?"

" No way. He won the GX Tournament last June. That was the tournament you wouldn't let me go to." He was still sore about that. It sounded like it would've been a lot of fun.

" I had an assignment elsewhere, and I wasn't letting you out of my sight so far away for so long."

" I _can_ look after myself, you know."

She gave him a fond, exasperated smile. Echo was really very pretty when she smiled, Adrian noticed distantly. Her eyes got all warm and soft. It was unusual for her, but still very nice.

" Yes you can." She agreed, and he almost pumped his fist in the air. He'd been trying to get her to admit that for years. " But not as well as I can."

He wilted, his sense of victory evaporating because she had a point.

" Of course you're better at it. It's your job." He was sulking even more now, but the smile didn't leave Echo's face.

" I only do such a good job because you mean so much to me."

Adrian looked up, eyes wide. Echo flushed a pale pink, and scrambled to explain herself.

" I-I...I mean...you're my best friend...so of course...of course you mean a lot...you're...to me, you're..."

Adrian grinned, a warmth unfurling in his chest.

" Echo." He interrupted her stammering. " You're my best friend too."

" Get some sleep." She muttered quietly, still pink. The grin felt like it was going to split his face in two. She was adorable when she accidentally let him know how much he meant to her. Some days, Adrian wondered what he'd done to deserve such a friend.

" Yes, _Mom_." He teased. She glared at him a little as she reached to disconnect the call.

" I'm serious. You're still recovering from whatever it is that Bio Band did, so don't push yourself. I can take the reins for a while. Just trust me, and get some sleep."

" I do trust you, Echo. More than anyone." He moved the mouse to disconnect. "Night."

" Goodnight." She was looking away from him again. " Sleep well."

Then the screen went blank, and Adrian closed the window. He got up, and shuffled over to his bed, letting his computer run its scans by itself. He crashed on the mattress, more tired than he was willing to admit. His last thought before he let himself be carried away by sleep was how cute Echo looked with her cheeks all blushy, and that maybe he should send her some flowers to apologize for disappointing her by playing around with people's feelings.

* * *

" It's impossible!" Chazz threw his hand down in frustration. " The gap is just too small! I can't see it!"

" Have we tried mirrors?" Alexis asked as she leaned over the back of Chazz's chair to look at the band on his wrist.

" Gap." He said through gritted teeth. Across from him, Jaden was glaring at his Bio Band so hard that it was a miracle the metal didn't melt off of his wrist. Maybe that was what he was hoping would happen, but doing so would destroy the symbol they were all trying so hard to see, so it was probably a good thing he hadn't developed eye lasers.

" So we've got nothing, huh?" Alexis sighed, collapsing into one of the unoccupied chairs at Chazz's kitchen table. The three of them – Chazz, Alexis, and Jaden – were alone in the Red Dorm, Blair safely closeted away in her room, Jim and Hassleberry off discussing dinosaurs and the finer points of paleontology, and Jesse making a run to the campus card shop with Syrus, who had promised to distract the Northern boy. Mindy and Jasmine had dragged Lia off to the mainland to go shopping because Aster was leaving to take part in a charity match the pro leagues were hosting the next day, and apparently, Lia didn't own anything the girls deemed 'appropriate' to see off her boyfriend. Of course, Lia had protested (both to shopping and to Aster being called 'her boyfriend'), but her screams had fallen on deaf ears as she'd been dragged, kicking, onto the ferry. Atticus was spending all of his spare time in autoshop, as he'd be graduating with his sister at the end of the year, and the thought of leaving his motorized 'babies' was starting to get to him. Alexis had dropped by once to return a book, and she'd sworn she saw him actually s_inging_ to one of the cars. Still, he was there, which meant that he wasn't with them.

So it left the three of them with a rare opportunity to try and get some real work done. There were several of their friends outside of the loop (like Atticus), and several in it that were uncomfortable discussing battle tactics (like Jesse, who got all squirmy and tense whenever Jaden's strange power was brought up). It was best if the three of them, the trio that had beaten back the Light of Destruction, worked by themselves, at least until they had an idea of what they were up against.

In the agitated silence, there was a small, muted pop.

' _What's up, you guys?' _Ojama Yellow asked in his squeaky voice. He blinked at he took them in. _' You look really down. Boss, what's going on?_'

" I don't have time for you right now." Chazz ground out. He was still fiddling with his Bio Band. Ojama Yellow floated over, curious.

' _What's that?'_

" A Bio Band." Alexis answered, seeing as how Chazz wasn't going to.

' _Are those the things that suck out your duel energy and make you guys so tired?'_

" How do you know about that?" Chazz asked gruffly. The little monster floated towards his face, cooing happily at the attention of his monster.

" _I __**always**__ pay attention to __**you**__, Boss! That's how I knew something was up last year!'_

Chazz stiffened at the reminder of being possessed, but said nothing. Seeing as how he was being ignored, Ojama Yellow turned to the oddly pensive Jaden.

' _Hey Jaden? What's going on? Why are you guys so mad?'_

" We're trying to figure these things out." Jaden said at length. His voice was low, and a little darker than normal. As he floated nearer to the boy, Ojama Yellow became just a little bit brighter.

" There's a symbol on the base of this," he indicated to the oval on the top, " but the gap is too thin for us to see it."

' _Oh.'_ Ojama Yellow studied the Bio Band for a moment. _' Well, I could look at it for you, if you want.'_

Chazz and Alexis' heads shot up.

" ...What?" Chazz said, stunned. His monster turned to face him.

' _Yeah, I'm smaller than you guys, and my eyes are a bit more flexible.'_ He moved the antennae that attached his buggy eyes to his head for emphasis. The three humans gawked at him.

" Would you mind?" Alexis said at last. Ojama Yellow shook his head, pleased to be able to help.

' _No way!'_ And without further discussion, he flew to Chazz hand and carefully wriggled one eye under the Bio Band. Chazz's own eyes bugged, but he obligingly held the bracelet away from his skin to give the monster more room.

" This is so weird." He muttered. A few moments later, Ojama Yellow resurfaced, looking triumphant.

' _Okay, got it!'_ He looked around. _' But how do I show you?'_

" You could draw it?" Alexis offered, fetching a pen and a notepad that was lying on the counter. The monster shook his head.

' _I can't hold a pencil. I'm not solid enough on this plane.'_

Before Chazz or Alexis could ask what he meant by 'plane', Jaden piped up.

" What if you guided Alexis' hand? Like, just carefully touched her wrist and showed her where to go? You guys have an easier time touching people with the Gift, right?"

' _That could work.'_ Ojama Yellow said, floating to where Alexis had her hand poised over the paper. He put his tiny hands on her wrist. They were pleasantly warm. _' Okay, start by drawing a circle...'_

Several minutes later, they had a drawing, and both boys were looking over Alexis' shoulder.

" You did good, for once." Chazz said, patting Ojama Yellow on the head absentmindedly. The monster just about died from happiness and vanished back into the deck to tell his brother about his adventures. The three humans bent to look at the picture.

" What is it?" Alexis said finally. The drawing was of a perfect circle, streaks of lines curling inwards towards the centre, where they blended together. " Looks kinda like a whirlpool." At the very centre of the circle, where the lines blended together was another smaller circle with a copy of the larger one inside of it. A whirlpool within a whirlpool.

" What does it mean?" Chazz asked.

" I don't know." Jaden answered, his voice serious. All around them the colours of the room brightened a little, and a soft pressure pushed on their shoulders. Both Chazz and Alexis sat up a little straighter.

" But we're going to find out."

* * *

So, I've discovered the only - the _only_- way I can stand to write Adrian. And that is having him banter back and forth with my version of Echo. I didn't like what they did with her in the dub, making her devoted to the point of being blind to Adrian obvious faults. And dear god, did Adrian have faults. But Echo never seemes to see them, holding him up as a god, and willing dying just so that he could grasp a little more power. I'm sure that in the original Japanese, there was more depth and poignancy, but I'm not writing the original, am I? I'm reworking the dub.

And I just _can't_ write Echo worshipping Adrian like that. I wanted to add an element that I always felt was missing from their relationship: The way Adrian feels about _her_. In Yearverse, Adrian's feelings abot Echo are confusing and jumping all over the place, but there is one sure thing about them: She is he only person he trusts completely.

And the kicker is that she doesn't trust him back, at least not in his eyes. Yeah, Echo being from the Facility will come back (and honestly? I don't think I'll ever fully explain what the Facility is. It is just...is**.** You're all free to write your own conspiracy theories about that one), and 'Echo' not really being her name will com back, and Adrian will not take anything well. I kinda like what I've done with him, especially in later chapters. Of course that might have something to do with the fact that I dislike him. And if this chapter seems tame, it's because I outgrew bashing characters for the sake of bashing them when several years ago. I'm not going to be _nice_ to Adrian, but I think that everything that will end up happening to him is within the realm of the possible for the characters to do, him included. I'd explain more clearly, but that would be spoiling.

Anywho, here's the chapter of the day, with Ojama Yellow lending a big helping hand.

What is the mysterious symbol? How does it relate to Viper's plan?

Lia: How much of an idiot can this lousy author make of herself?

Come back tomorrow to find ou-Hey!

MoS


	11. Roadblocks

Warnings: Mystery! Intrigue! Questions! How long can I possibly spin this plot point out?~ (Answer: A _long_ time)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

The research didn't go as well as expect but, fortunately, none of them had expected very much. Jaden and the rest knew that things were rarely handed to them on a silver platter, and if they were, it was probably a trap. Two years of being forced into one life-threatening situation after another after another had taught them the lessons that most teenagers didn't start grasping until their post-secondary years: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, and 'no pain, no gain' really was a fundamental truth of the universe.

Still, no one, not even the ridiculously hard to impress Crowler, could accuse them of not trying.

Jaden scoured the Internet while Alexis haunted databases the web over trying to dig up something. Chazz invaded his family's own personal databases with such a vengeance that it was a miracle his brothers didn't call to tell him to lay off. Lia dragged Syrus off to the library once they'd been informed, pleading and bargaining with the librarian to let them in the Rare Texts Section where the scrolls and books that were practically falling apart were housed, but in the end, Lia could only covertly take pictures of the glass-encased objects with Syrus on watch, and hope that she could blow up the photos digitally on her computer.

Hassleberry, who had already admitted to not being particularly good at research, was happy to run around fetching things for them, or else running interference. He distracted Mindy by bringing up her fashion class, he gossiped with Jasmine about who had disappeared out of class with who, and he made Atticus lose his trains of thought by bringing up cars and other vehicles for the older boy to gush about. Of that group, only Jessica, Miriam and Brier seemed to understand that the Slacker Club was on a mission of sorts and they were best left to themselves. Abeni could often be found hanging around wherever Syrus happened to be at the time, waiting for her boyfriend to finish but not badgering him about what he was doing with his time. He and the rest were grateful.

Had he been around, Lia thought that they might have recruited Axel, who appeared to have insider knowledge about Viper and what he did. They may also have asked Adrian Gecko for help, had Lia not given them a look that said she would raise hell if she had to be in the same room as the boy who'd sent her the flowers.

As it was, they had an eager Jim and a reluctant, wary Jesse who agreed to help them. Jesse's desire to keep away from the issue didn't seem so much to come from any kind of laziness or denial, but from an unease around Jaden that had been growing ever since things had started going downhill at such a rapid pace. He was jumpy around Jaden, constantly looking at him like he expected the other boy to jump up and announce that _he_ was the final boss of the year. It didn't make sense, but then, Lia could hardly remember anything from the duel with the Light, so maybe Jesse's fears were grounded in some way.

Either way, Lia was grateful for the help (because Jim actually had some _training_ with researching, having been in and out of dig sites his entire life), and as long as someone else was there to help her get those pictures of the scrolls, it was all good.

That didn't make being around Jim any easier though.

"_And this is Lia Shanner." Alexis finished the introductions. When they'd called Jesse to see if he could come over and help them with their 'symbol research', he'd been with Jim and , after a quick debate between Alexis, Jaden and Chazz (who seemed to form the decision-making committee), they'd asked him to come too. They'd kept their explanation to the bare minimum: Bad things happen at Duel Academy, something bad is happening now, it's got to do with the Bio Bands, and we need to find out what this symbols means. He'd listened, nodded, and given his two cents, which consisted of pointing out that the vibrations that had messed up Shirley and Hassleberry were probably linked, but Chazz was almost definitely right about them interfering with the bands._

_So Alexis had realized that Jim and Lia had never officially met, and hurried to introduce them._

_Jim grinned._

" _We've met."_

_Lia blinked in surprise. She didn't remember the man very well, although she could recall him dropping unconscious at the drop of a hat, along with Hassleberry, after a duel. That was another worrying thing. Students were dropping off left, right and center. The gymnasium had been converted into a make-shift hospital, and Miss Fontaine was at the end of her rope trying to help everyone. She'd been complaining about not having enough room to work, and not having more than one assistant to help._

_Still, that didn't mean Lia remembered meeting the man who'd been under for a couple of days._

" _We have?"_

_He grinned at her and, to her shock, reached out and patted her on her curly head._

" _Y' were uppa tree, Sheila." _

_Lia squeaked, going a little red. Jim laughed, and gestured with his thumb over his shoulder._

" _An' this 'ere's moi best girl, Shirley. Come an' say 'ello, girl."_

_A large green shape waddled around Jim to look at where he was pointing. Alexis seemed fascinated._

" _And you have her legally? What kind of paperwork did you have to fill out to get her? Does she require a permit, or something? How did you get her over international borders?"_

_Jim laughed, not noticing that Lia had gone stiff as a board, her eyes huge in her suddenly ashen face._

" _Easy, Future Girl." Jim had started calling Alexis that when he found out about all the Cyber Girls in her deck. " Yeah, there was a bitta t' do 'bout Shirley. Lotsa papers t' sign. Still, Oi got 'er wit' me, an' that's all that matters, yeah?"_

_Lia whimpered._

_It wasn't a comical sound, like the one she made when her brain had been broken by something idiotic her friends had done, or something stupid and crazy a villain had said. It was a whimper of pure fear._

_Lia started shakily walking backwards, her gaze transfixed on where Shirley was lazily watching her move. Her back hit the wall and she tried to keep going, never once taking her petrified eyes off of the crocodile. Shirley, apparently sensing her fear and feeling a little playful, started towards her. Lia looked ready to cry. She groped her hand out, searching for something, and when she found the desk next to her, she wasted no time scrambling on top of it, sending books and papers flying to the floor in a mess of disarray._

" _Lia?" Alexis asked worriedly, making her way over. But Shirley beat her there. The massive reptile stood up on her stubby hind legs, lay her upper torso along the desk, and playfully bumped her snout against Lia's bare calf._

_Lia screamed._

_She shot backwards, almost falling off of the desk in her hast to get away. She was slurring between English and French, an incomprehensible blur of language that amounted to one thing:_

_Get it away from me._

_Jim moved faster than any of them noticed. He was hauling Shirley down off the desk and trying to sooth her as Lia broke into sobs, curling up on the desk, rocking back and forth. The high-pitched sounds of her distress made Shirley growl, putting her head down to try and block out the noise. Alexis and Jaden, who'd also sprung into action, wrapped their arms around the almost hysterical girl, who still hadn't stopped crying._

_Jim sat up, looking at her._

" _Sheila?"_

" _Kitten, c'mon, it's okay?" Alexis whispered, rubbing a hand up and down her back. Lia had her eyes squeezed shut, her hands buried in her curls._

" _Il me mangera, il me mangera." __She chanted, rocking back and forth. Across the small space of Jaden's dorm room, Chazz scoffed._

" _She is __**not**__ going to eat you." He said, rolling his eyes._

" _Shirley ain't gonna 'urt ya, love. Oi promise." Jim tried to reason, but Lia started shaking her head, her breathing erratic as a fresh bout of tears escaped her eyes._

" _Ils mangeront les choses toujours." __She whimpered. Jim just stared._

" _Oi don' know what you're tryin' t' say, but Shirley wouldn't 'urt'cha, Oi promise."_

_Lia took several deep breaths through her nose._

" _I d-don't...I don't...__**like**__ those...those...__**things**__." She croaked at last._

" _Shirley ain't a thin', Kitty-Cat."_

" _Yes she is!" Lia exploded, pointing to the reptile. " She's one of those things and she's got big teeth and she'll snap me in half just like that gazelle!"_

_As it turned out, it was not Lia's first encounter with a crocodile. _

_And her first hadn't been the best of meetings._

_She'd been six and in Africa to visit her father on the game reserve where he worked. While driving around with him and a few other workers, they'd stopped by a river to relax and enjoy the view, telling Lia a little about the wild animals she'd seen going for a drink. Clutching her camera, the six-year-old had very carefully tottered forward to take a picture of a gazelle. She'd managed about three before her father, who was keeping a hawk's eye on her from an arm's length, had told her it was time to go back to the jeep. Lia had asked to take one more picture._

_And then the crocodile had risen from the murky water, snapped its jaws, and all little, six-year-old Lia had seen before her father had grabbed her and covered her eyes was blood flying everywhere and the flashing teeth of the reptile cutting through flesh and bone._

_The encounter, naturally, had instilled an almost crippling fear of the animals in Lia._

_Alexis thought that it was also rather telling that Lia didn't say a word of it herself. She was too busy not looking at Jim and half crying into Jaden's shoulder as Jim hustled Shirley outside, a little upset, but understanding that to some, Shirley really didn't seem all that friendly and appealing._

_No, Alexis had had her ear chewed off by an enraged Aster Phoenix, who called while Lia was still indisposed, and Alexis was answering her calls. The pro star was livid, explaining in cutting detail exactly __**why**__ letting Lia be in a room with a crocodile was quite possibly the __**stupidest**__ thing anyone could have done, and he had half a mind to ditch the charity event and come back there and protect her._

_Alexis sighed, and wondered out loud if maybe, he should._

" _If nothing else," she muttered, " you might get Adrian Gecko off of her back."_

" _Gecko?"_

" _He sent her flowers and keeps flirting with her in the halls. It's freaking her out."_

_There was a pause, during which Alexis swore she heard Aster's teeth start to grind._

" _...What __**kind **__of flowers?"_

" _I don't know. Why does it matter?"_

" _It just does, okay?"_

" _Uh...I think she said...hibiscus?"_

_Aster snorted._

" _Idiot."_

_And then he hung up, telling Alexis to tell Lia to feel better. Lia had watched the conversation through teary eyes._

She didn't find it any easier to be in the same room with Jim.

Even when Shirley was riding around in that weird backpack and was incapable of escaping without Jim's help, it didn't calm Lia's nerves. She just kept seeing the bloody water and the snapping jaws and no matter how much Jim assured her that Shirley would never attack, she couldn't bring herself to calm down.

Shirley wasn't the only thing she was worried about, either.

Everything was moving so fast. Far too fast. Lia could remember the panic of last year, slowly building up over time, one tiny event leading into another leading into another. There had been a swelling, slow and steady as the tides, despite the growing panic. The fear and paranoia inspired by Chazz's possession had been slow to come and carefully prodded towards fruition. The Light hadn't been impatient. It had had all the time in the world to bring about the climax it wanted, and it hadn't rushed in head first.

But here they were, barely over a week into school, and things accelerating.

Students were dropping like flies; suspicions ran high, and the one at the center of it was already missing; Sheppard had left, maybe to get help. Everything was starting to fall apart into tiny little pieces and they hadn't even hit the two week mark yet.

It made Lia's stomach churn. The speed at which things were happening was too fast for her. It felt like the summer had been nothing; just a mere blink, and then they'd been hurled right back into the thick of it. There was n build-up, no swell. The tide wasn't retreating and coming in anymore; it was in, full-throttle. The waves were crashing against them and all they could do was hang on to the pier and hope for the best.

' It's like there was no gathering, just the storm. Just this massive, terrible storm that we have to weather.'

" _Stay and watch as this storm – over an age in the making- finally __**breaks**__."_

Lia shook her head, feeling depressed. The sentence was starting to make more and more sense as time went by. Unfortunately, it was about the _only_ thing that made sense. The Bio Bands' technology stumped them. The symbol was still a mystery. Viper was nowhere to be found and Axel had disappeared as well. Atticus was getting suspicious, and the storm, whatever it was, was hitting them with slicing rain and gale-force winds.

Lia stopped in front of her dorm room. The hall was empty – too many students had collapsed; most of her hall mates were lying in the gym-, and she took a moment to lean her head against the cool wall.

" What are we doing?" She whispered to the universe at large. " _How _do we do it?"

Her foot bumped against something.

She looked down. There, right in front of her door, was a small vase with a single, white flower in it. There was a card slipped under the vase, and she crouched down to pick it up.

_If you wanted flowers, all you had to do was ask_. The cheeky note said in a familiar script. Lia felt her cheeks warm, and a small smile came up on her face as she reached out to delicately touch the petals.

Twenty minutes later, Chazz looked up as Lia entered the Red Dorm.

" What, no library crawl today?" He asked, putting on a nasty tone that they both knew meant nothing. Lia scoffed and made her away over to a large armchair, disdaining to sit on the same couch as him. His laptop was open in front of him, and he was cross-referencing a scan of the symbol with every alphabet his family's database had.

" The librarian is getting suspicious of me."

" That's because you have all the grace and subtly of a train wreck."

" Clearly, I've been hanging around you too much." She countered neatly, and set her books in front of her to begin reading. Her face grew hot as she felt Chazz's gaze on her, and she knew without looking at he was staring at the white flower tucked behind her left ear.

" You _do_ know what that is, right?" He pointed to her ear.

" Uh, a _flower?_" She said, the 'duh' in her voice. Chazz, surprisingly, didn't rise to the bait.

" It's a camellia." She stared blankly at him. " It means '_my destiny is in your hands_'."

Lia was too embarrassed and flattered to even tease Chazz about knowing flower language.

* * *

_There was a great ocean of sand stretched out before him, running miles and miles away from where he stood. The dunes rose and fell like the waves of an ocean, but instead of the steady, soothing motion the tide, there was a stillness that stole the breath from him. _

_There was no noise; not one single thing sounded in the vastness. The sky hung a sickly shade of deep green, black clouds crawling across it like worms burrowing their way through dirt. Against the pale pallor of the sand, the sky appeared to be darker than it actually once. He squinted his eyes as he looked over the dunes, their paleness reflecting a brightness back at him that hurt. The wind picked up, for a moment, kicking up a dust storm. His arms came to shield his face, the tiny grains leaving stinging marks as they hit his skin._

_He became aware of a terrible heat from somewhere up above. Looking towards the sky again, wincing as he got sand in his eyes, he located the source._

_Three glowing suns beat down on him where he stood, forming a triangle high, high above him._

_Memory exploded over him in a rush of images: A man, a woman, a dagger and a price. The gleam of a medallion, broken in two. A promise. The woman's sad eyes. People down on one knee, bowing to him._

_The threat of monsters looming overhead._

_A hissed warning, and the quiet death of a noble warrior._

_Regret and sacrifice._

_He'd been here before. Years ago, but the landscape had not changed and the heat of the suns beat down as hard as ever._

_This was-_

" _Jaden?"_

_A voice scattered his thoughts._

" _Jaden, why would you play with me?"_

_It was childish, bell-like. The high pitched whine of an ignored child who had yet to learn patience._

_It set his teeth grinding._

" _Don't you __**like **__me anymore?"_

_The sweat that trickled down the side of his face was cold, despite the heat of the suns overhead._

" _Don't you want to be with me anymore?"_

_That voice, that awful, wonderful voice! He knew it, he knew like he would have known his own reflection! But what was the name?_

" _I've missed you so much, Jaden. Why did you go away?"_

_It was on the tip of his tongue, gummed up with flashing images. The table, the cards, the silver-and-purple thing –_

" _Why did you __**leave**__ me?"_

_He hadn't, had he? Because to leave the owner of that voice would be a crime, wouldn't it? There had been a promise, there must've been, because he remembered the vaguest hint of sunset and the peak of a mountain, and vibrant, dual coloured eyes that looked right through to the heart of him._

" _Why did you __**abandon**__ me, Jaden?"_

" _Who are you?!" He screamed at last, his voice almost lost to the wind that was whipping up around them. The suns had vanished behind a cloak of black clouds. The air was heavy. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, and the storm began to gather._

_Again._

" _You don't remember me? You don't even remember that much?"_

" _Show me your face!" His frustration made him bold, and he took a step forward. There were shadows of figures just beyond his vision, outside of the swirl of sand that had kicked up around him._

" _You might've forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten __**you.**__"_

" _Please!" He begged, hoarse at the throat. " Please, show yourself!"_

_But the only answer he received was the scream of the winds as the storm grew closer._

Jaden's eyes flew open.

He sat up in his bed, panting like he'd run a marathon. A cold trickle of sweat dripped down the side of his face. For a moment, he stared into the semi-darkness of the room, at the desk and the chair and the pulled curtain, but none of it made any sense to him. He was lost, back in the rolling sand dunes and beneath the churning green sky, begging for that unfamiliar and yet achingly familiar voice to answer him.

He knew it and he knew he knew it, but he just couldn't seem to remember what he knew.

Quietly, Jaden kicked the sheets off and wiped as hand across his sweaty brow.

" What is going _on_?" He muttered. " I thought I was done with dreams."

Apparently, he hadn't been working himself hard enough.

Glancing around in a daze, he spotted the computer lying still and quiet on his desk. Gulping, he took a step forward.

" There's nothing for it." He said to himself. His finger hovered over the power button. It shook a little.

" You want answers, don't you?" He snapped to himself. The room was far too quiet. Even the voices of his monsters had been silenced for a time.

" Just do it." He snapped, and pressed the button. As the computer booted up, Jaden opened the curtains and went about making himself look presentable. There was no point in calling to ask questions if they never got past him explaining that yes, he was getting enough sleep and yes, he was eating right.

The moment his background was displayed, Jaden double clicked a small icon on the side.

" Here goes nothing." He whispered, his heart pounding. He put on a headset that was lying, mostly discarded, just to the side of the machine. A screen opened up. On it, a pretty brunette with orange streaks in her hair and dog tags around her neck grinned gently.

" Juudai-kun." She said. Jaden nodded, hoping against hope that he would be able to pull it off without alerting her to the danger he was in.

" Good evening, 'Kaa-san."

* * *

Lia has always been a afraid of crocs. She just never had the opportunity to meet one and let all of her friends know.

But she told Aster. Well, isn't that interesting? *smiles*

There's not much I think I need to clear up for you guys, because you're smart enough to figure things out on your own.

And the camellia is now the Slapshipping flower, because one of its meanings really is 'my destiny is in your hands'. Isn't that awesome? I's like it was _made_ for them!

Chazz knows flower language!

And Jaden's mom! She will feature more later, I promise!

See you all tomorrow,

MoS


	12. Stories

Warnings: Atticus. And Jaz and Mindy.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Atticus was starting to get suspicious.

" Don't you think it's kinda weird?"

" What's kinda weird?"

" Yeah, Atticus, you're not making any sense."

" C'mon, you're telling me you haven't noticed Jazz!"

" Noticed what?"

" The way those guys've been acting."

" I've been a little distracted by the sudden drop in our student body."

" Jazz is right, Atty. You must've noticed!"

" I have, I have. It's just..."

" What, Atty?"

" ...Are you two telling me that you really haven't noticed?"

" Noticed what?"

" Atty, at least talk in a way that we understand."

" I can't believe you guys are actually ignoring this."

" Ignoring what?"

" C'mon Mindy, don't act dumb."

" I'm _not_! I just don't know what's got you so worked up and grumpy! You've been like this since the year started!"

" Actually, Min, he's been like this since last year _ended_."

" Hmmm?"

" He's been all grouchy since Jaden left to defeat the Light."

" ...Doesn't it bother you two? The way it all went down last year?"

" ...I..."

" Because it bothers me. It bothers me a lot. Don't you guys feel like you're being left outta the loop?"

" In case it's escaped your notice, _Atty_, we're always out of the loop."

" What?"

" Mindy and I aren't like the rest of you guys. We're not gonna be saving the world any time soon. We're just along for the ride."

" Jasmine..."

" No Atticus, listen to me. I had a lot of time to think about it this summer, and I realized something: I'm not the hero here. I'm not, okay? I'm barely even a side character. I'm just here. This is all one damn giant rollercoaster ride, but I'm not in the front row or the back. I'm somewhere in the middle, so I can't see what's coming and I can't rush out to meet it. It's a ride Atty. And I'm on it 'til it stops, for better or for worse."

" That isn't fair, Jazz. You can't just..."

" No, maybe it's not fair. Maybe it's wrong and I'm owed more than that. I've been there for all of it, too. I saw the Light take over Lexi just as much as you did, and I saw Jaden pull It back out of Ojin. I know that I'm a part of this story, but..."

" Jazz..."

" Mindy and I...we're not the main characters. Not here. This is someone else's story right now. We're not like Jaden or Lexi, or Lia. We can't be."

" Jasmine, you shouldn't just settle for-"

" What else can I do?"

" ..."

"..."

" What else is there, huh? Do I storm in and demand a bigger part? Do I disrupt everything for the sake of my ego? This isn't _my_ story, Atty. Someday, I'll have one, and I'll look back on this and remember as something I was a part of, but it's not my story. Not this time."

" So you're saying we should all just sit back and _let_ them plan behind our backs? Is that it? I should just _let_ my sister hurl herself into danger and never raise a finger to help?"

" That's not what I'm saying."

" Really? Because it sure sounds like it."

" Guys, please don't fight."

" No Mindy, this needs to be said. Don't take your frustrations out on me, Atticus. I put up with last year, but now I'm drawing a line in the sand."

" Stop being so self-righteous! Our friends are in danger, right now. You _know _they're planning something."

" They always do."

" Not like this, Mindy. It's always been us waiting for whatever it is to come out way. This time they're..."

" They're?"

" ...It's like they're the ones planning the first move. Like they're the ones who'll strike first."

" It's their story."

" But they could get themselves killed!"

" Have some faith, would you?! You're running around, acting like they're little kids who need to be supervised, but they're not! They've faced this kind of thing before. We all have!"

" But you said-"

" I'd said we faced it, not that we'd fought it. Damnit, Atticus, you're acting like this kind of thing has never happened before! They've fought this before, and they've _won_! They've _won_, Atticus! So why don't you do what Jaden told you to and _believe in them_?!"

" That's my baby sister out there! You can't expect me to just sit back and let something happen to her!"

" She's not a baby anymore! Alexis grew up!"

" She'll always be my baby sister! And it's my job to protect her from anything that wants to hurt her!"

" Guys, come on. Stop yelling, please."

" He needs to hear this, otherwise he'll never understand."

" Understand what?"

" Don't glare at me, Atticus Rhodes."

" Then don't goad me."

" I'm not goading you, I'm trying to tell you something!"

" What?"

" That maybe Alexis doesn't need protection, from anyone! Maybe she's strong enough to stand on her own!"

" And what happens when she gets overconfident and is in over her head?"

" That's what Jaden's for!"

" _Jaden_?! He's got it worse than her! He'll run himself ragged by the end of the month!"

" You just don't trust him!"

" I trust Jaden to be a good guy and I trust him to come through in the end, but no, I'm not gonna trust a guy who gave my sister back her memories of the Society of Light!"

" She needed those! They made her strong!"

" They hurt her!"

" 'That which does not kill us makes us stronger'!"

" Don't you try and go all philosophical on me, Jasmine Makita! Lexi was hurt bad by what she remembered."

" But she came back fine!"

" She's been weird all summer! She barely spoke a word to us and she kept staring into the distance!"

" She went through a lot! She had some stuff to sort out!"

" Of course she did! But she wouldn't have if Jaden hadn't given her back her memories!"

" Atticus, think about what you're saying. You want Lex to be ignorant?"

" Better ignorant than in that kind of pain, Min."

" You don't know what you're talking about."

" Don't you even fucking start with me, Jazz. I'd give anything to get rid of my memories of the Abandoned Dorm, but I can't."

" ...That's what this is about, isn't it?"

" What?"

" Mindy, what are you talking about?"

" You're still trying to save them, aren't you? All those people you lost."

" ...I..."

" You're still trying to make up for what happened that night."

" ...It's not...that isn't..."

" Oh god, she's right, isn't she? _That's_ why you're trying so hard all the time. You still feel guilty."

" ...You couldn't possibly understand."

" No, I can't but..."

" Oh, Atty."

" ...Atticus, they're _gone_. That night is behind you, and nothing will change it. It's time to let go and move on."

" ..."

" Atticus-"

" No."

" Huh?"

" It will never be gone. It will never be over. That night will haunt me until the day that I die. And I'll live my whole life trying to make up for what happened."

" But it wasn't your fault."

" I brought them there, Min. I made them come along. I...I _killed_ them."

" Atticus..."

" That's why...That's why I have to protect Alexis and the others. I have to make up for what I did that night. _You_ might be content to sit around and watch them die, but I'm not."

" That's not what I said at all!"

" It was what you meant."

" No, it wasn't!"

" Jazz is right, Atty. All she said was-"

" It's the same thing! Sitting around, letting them throw themselves into danger, it's just as bad as throwing them yourself! And using that stupid excuse, that it's not 'her story'...it just makes me –"

" _It's not your story either!_"

Atticus froze. Across from him, Jasmine was teary-eyed but firm. Mindy looked in between, hands clasped and already crying. Jasmine was panting from the exertion of her yell. Atticus, though flushed from fighting with her, went very pale under the blood. His eyes never left Jasmine's.

" ...What?"

The redhead shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.

" It's...It's not your story either, Atticus. I'm not sure whose it is, but it's not mine, and it's not Mindy, and it's not yours either. Maybe it's Jaden's, and maybe it's Syrus', and maybe, right now, it's becoming Alexis', but it's not yours."

She stared hard at him.

" Don't try and make it into something it's not."

Atticus met her gaze for a few seconds, bewildered. Then his eyes sharpened, his face went dark, and Jasmine knew she'd failed.

" Don't tell me what to do." He snapped and stormed out of the room slamming the door shut behind him. Jasmine breathed and sank onto the bed. Mindy was at her side in a moment, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a one-armed hug.

" You okay?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

" I meant it." Jasmine whispered. " I meant what I said. It's not our story. I didn't understand that last year, not at first, but I do now. I'm sure they'll come and get us before the end, or we'll find our way to them, but we won't have a role. It's not about us. It's about them."

" I thought that too." Mindy gave a soft smile. " And you know?" Jasmine shook her head. Mindy stood, spinning around with her arms wide. The sun streamed in through the open window, and a breeze that smelled of the ocean played with the curtains. Mindy laughed, a sounded that reminded Jasmine of silver bells.

" I don't think it matters that it's not ours. Because we'll find our own stories. We'll find them and make them into something grand. And you know what else?"

She stopped spinning. The sunlight caught in her hair and made her eyes sparkle. She looked very pretty, but different than how she normally looked. A different kind of light was in her face. She looked more grown up than Jasmine had ever seen her old friend.

" What?" She asked, unable to resist Mindy's infectious grin.

" Someday, when we look back on these days, and we talk about the epic that is Jaden and Lexi's story, we'll have something better than everyone else- We'll get to say we were _there_."

She looked out to the sparkling blue ocean and for a moment, Jasmine could almost picture her friend old and gray, talking to a child she was balancing on her knee. She wondered if Mindy's eyes would look the same.

" And isn't that enough?"

Jasmine got up to stand next to her friend. Outside, the day swam by slowly in the blue of the sky, and somewhere, Jaden Yuki began to make a plan of attack.

" Yeah." Jasmine breathed. " It's enough."

* * *

It was almost midnight when the trio came back.

Alexis, Jaden and Chazz had run out on a mission to the place where Jim had started picking up the vibrations. He'd offered to come, but they'd declined, citing that they were going to " ...do some things that you will not understand, and will take way too long to explain right now, so just sit tight. We'll be back.", and then vanished into the approaching night.

They'd all but set up base in Chazz's living room. Blair might have overtaken one or more of the bedrooms (even Chazz wasn't sure, because he didn't dare go back there after one incident in which he'd had the unfortunate timing to catch Blair as she left the bathroom in only a towel, and proved that her aim was almost as good as Lia's), but she was gone from the Dorm a lot. She might fawn over Jaden whenever he was within sight, and send him 'bento's like crazy once she'd figured out what the boxes were from the 'Juudai-sama' fans, but a majority of her time seemed to be taken up with nagging and looking after a boy in the Ra Yellow called 'Marcel'. Lia mentioned that he was a small, dopey eyed young boy who certainly didn't look his professed almost 15 years. Still, he kept Blair out of the Dorm and out of their hair, so no one questioned it.

Currently, Lia was sitting cross-legged on top of the kitchen table, a book in her hands. She refused to be any lower, given that Shirley was lurking underfoot somewhere. She'd run into Jim several times and, at his pleading insistence, tried to force herself to be able to be around the crocodile without suffering from a panic attack. More often than not, the attempts led to her diving into the nearest arms she could find (sometimes Alexis, sometimes a confused Jesse, and once a protesting Chazz, who'd proceeded to drop her and then start a fight, sufficiently distracting her from the reptile), but she was getting a little better.

She wasn't screaming at the sight of Jim anymore, which was a vast improvement.

But she still refused to be within biting range and from the kitchen table, though she told no one, she could leap to the counter where the knife block was. It was comforting, and helped her not whimper every time there was a flash of green under her feet.

For her part, Shirley seemed to get some kind of sadistic pleasure out of making Lia jumped. She could probably sense the fear the young girl was exuding, but why the reptile wriggled and squirmed and tried to get close to Lia was a mystery. Jim had jokingly said that Shirley just liked her, to which Lia had screamed and started scaling the nearest tree, shouting that she most certainly did _not_ like Shirley back.

Jim had been disappointed, and Alexis had been fighting off a migraine. It took them an hour and a half to get Lia to come back down, and she only did that after Jim had retreated t a safe distance.

Lia had gotten better, but she refused to touch Shirley, and the second Jim started to let the crocodile out of the improvised backpack he carried her around in, Lia was retreating to higher ground

Jesse was sitting with Jim, not bothered by the bright green mass that was waddling around the room, looking for entertainment. She kept eyeing Hassleberry and Syrus where they were sitting by Lia, but one warning look from Jim had her wandering off, knowing that even a playful nip would be met by disapproval. Hassleberry was carefully sorting through his cards while Syrus stared hard at the copy of the symbol that he'd received. Chazz had made photocopies, and they'd each been given one.

Lia put the book down.

" Done?" Syrus asked. She nodded tiredly.

" How'd it end?" Hassleberry didn't look up from his cards. By the couch, Jesse sat up and stretched, yawning tiredly.

" The same way it did the last time I read it." Lia tapped _Notre Dame de Paris_ against the table. " Tragically."

" Ah only evah saw th' Disney version." Jesse confessed sheepishly. Lia gave a sardonic smile.

" Not the truest adaptation, but a good one nonetheless."

She might have said more, or a lighthearted discussion about timeless childhood films might have broken out, had the door not banged open.

Jesse looked up, his smile of welcome quickly changing into a look of horror as he took in the scene.

" Hey, y-_Jesus Chrahst!_"

Chazz held the door open as Jaden led Alexis in. She was hunched over and had her hands covering her eyes. Between the fingers, blood was dripping.

" Moi god, wha' 'appened?!" Jim leapt from the couch to make room as Jaden gently deposited Alexis. Lia hurried over, a wet washcloth in her hands that she gave to Chazz, her fear of Shirley temporarily forgotten.

" We need ta get 'er t' the nurse, blokes." Jim reached down to pick the bleeding girl up, but Chazz blocked him. " The bloody 'ell, mate?"

Chazz shook his head curtly.

" Jaden." He said, never looking away from Alexis. Lia knelt and took the older girl's hand over the arm of the couch, holding it tight.

"Aniki, go." Syrus whispered, even as Jim looked around in confusion. Jesse shifted until he was behind Jaden, and put a hand on his shoulders.

" Hurry up, Jay." He whispered so softly it was almost inaudible. " Yo' th' onleh one who can."

Jaden nodded once, then got to his knees.

" Mate, Oi don't know wha'cha're plannin' but we need ta-"

Jaden pushed Alexis' hands aside. They all got a glimpse of her bleeding, tightly shut eyes before Jaden put his hands over them.

" _And from thine eyes, I will wash all lies._" He whispered. The same silver light that had saved Alexis' sight the previous year began to glow on his palms, his face half hidden in shadow. The world coloured vibrantly, the shadows growing darker and everything seeming to glimmer slightly. Jim looked around him, awe-struck, though all the others kept their eyes on the slowly relaxing Alexis and the suddenly-distant Jaden. Shirley eyed the boy strangely, before bowing her head slowly and leaning against his side. Lia flinched, but said nothing, only squeezing Alexis' hand encouragingly.

After a moment, the light died away and Jaden sat back.

" It's done." He whispered in his strange voice. Jim opened his mouth to ask something, but Jaden was saved from answering by Alexis gingerly sitting up, holding her head.

" You okay?" Chazz asked softly.

" Yeah, I-" She froze suddenly, her eyes shooting up. " Chazz!"

" What?" He was next to her in an instant. Leaning against Jesse's steadying arm, Jaden's eyes found hers as well. The veins still bulged around them, paler than the rest of her face.

" I saw it." She whispered. " It was faint, and it was different somehow, but it was definitely there."

" What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Jim asked, the only one looking thoroughly confused. Alexis didn't look at him as she answered, instead speaking directly to Jaden.

" There's no mistaking it. The thing that disrupted the Bio Bands that day was the Light of Destruction."

* * *

I told you Atty wasn't over what happened that night. He's got a long way to go before he can face that particular demon, but like I said, he isn't the most stable of persons right now.

And I wanted to show how Jasmine and Mindy feel throughout all of this. They usually get pushed to the side, but here's how they really see themselves in the grand scheme of this thing.

And the return of Alexis Lightslayer! Yay!

I don't really have all that much to say about this chapter, because I think it's pretty straight forward. Some chapters I have a lot to say about, but this one, this is just...well, you guys can figure out what's going on in it (to a certain extent) all on your own. And what you can't figure out was probably meant to be revealed later. Like that last little section there.

Enjoy thinking about that.

I'll see you tomorrow for the next chapter!

MoS


	13. Answers

Warnings: Why, hello there Mrs. Yuki! Did you decide to join the story today?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Axel cursed himself as he slammed the point of his grappling device into the stone of the walls around him. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd managed to get himself into such a situation. He just knew that he had to get out of it, and fast. Something was going on, and it was bad. _Bad_. Everything was going straight to hell in a hand basket, and Viper was behind it all.

The survival duels had gotten way out of hand. Axel was used to them at West. It was a daily thing. Viper had implemented them two years ago when he'd first arrived to teach at West Academy. Axel actually liked them, and he liked the way Viper taught. It was very much the same way both of his parents taught their lessons: through doing the action, all the while ingraining into his head that life was a battlefield.

Axel's instinctive thrill issues were satisfied with Viper. The man made him push his limits into places he hadn't know they could go. His card drawing technique had improved vastly; his dueling skills had gotten better rapidly; and he at last had a superior that wasn't either of his parents to take his orders from.

It was the chance to put his mother's lessons to use.

He could finally start to figure out who he really was.

And maybe, he could find someone to put at his back.

But it was all going wrong. Students were dropping left and right, and not because they were weak. Jaden Yuki wasn't weak, and he'd dropped like a stone. Axel himself wasn't a weakling by any stretch of the imagination, and even _he'd_ dropped.

There was something going on that had never happened at West, and when Axel had gone to try and figure out what, he'd gotten himself trapped like a rat in a maze.

The hairs at the back of his neck prickled and stood on end. He knew Viper was watching, although the man had, naturally, thought ahead enough to camouflage the camera so that it blended into the dark stones around it. It was unnerving, but it was also incredibly frustrating. As long as Viper was watching, Axel was powerless. Any escape attempts would be monitored and countered because Viper could see them. What Axel needed was a blind spot, or a temporary loss of power, or s_omething_ that would get the camera off of him for just a little bit of time. Even a ten minute window was something he could work with.

The problem was that he didn't know when Viper was actually monitoring him. He didn't know when the man was in front of his computer screen, making sure Axel didn't escape, and when he was elsewhere, doing whatever it was that he was doing that was screwing everything up. Axel had actually been looking forward to coming to Duel Academy. It was a fresh turf with fresh meat and the promise of a challenge. A brand new battle to test his skills in.

But Viper had gone and ruined that for some yet unknown reason.

And worse, he'd given an order that Axel had followed, and it had turned him into a complete bastard.

Axel was never going to forget the look in Syrus Trusedale's eyes when Axel had finally pushed him too far. Like a wild animal being forced into a cage, those eyes had lost all thought and reason, and all there had been was that desperate flight instinct. Axel had been genuinely scared, not so much of Syrus, but of what he had become. What Axel had pushed him to. Guilt wasn't something Axel was too accustomed to, but it was there, in his gut, twisting his insides up every time he thought about that night.

Jaden had well been within his rights to trounce Axel like he had. The Western boy was just glad the fight hadn't gotten physical. He thought maybe, he could take Jaden, but on that night, with that look in his eyes, there had been no guarantee. Those eyes weren't the eyes of a 17-year-old student. They were older, battle-hardened, and dangerous. There was no telling what the owner of those eyes could do when properly provoked and it was just Axel's bad luck that he'd provoked him.

He slammed his device into the wall again. The stone barely chipped.

" You can't keep me in here, Viper!" He shouted, unsure if he was even being watched at all. But he had to assume that he was, at all times, so long as that camera was still functioning.

' You're letting your anger get the better of you.' His father's voice echoed in his head. ' Anger's fine and good, son, but it can also make you sloppy. Control it. You wanna be a duelist and use a fire deck? You gotta learn to control the fire, or else you'll get burned.'

' Right. I'm burning myself.' Axel thought, taking a deep breath.

' Picture a storm.' His mother had instructed one day when his cards had gotten the better of him and he'd almost been burned by one of his own attacks. He'd been stupid, because his opponent had taunted him and he'd gotten angry and hasty.

' Picture a storm. The wind's howling, the rains falling, and you're out in it. You don't know anything from anything. There are shapes through the wind, but they don't make sense right now. There are voices, but they don't make sense neither. All you got is you. You and this storm you're lost in.'

' I'm lost?' He'd asked, and his mother had laughed. Axel had always secretly thought that his mother had a beautiful laugh.

' Don't you know what anger is, boy? It's the storm, the great storm. It sweeps in with wind and rain and thunder, and ain't nothing that can penetrate it. It dulls your senses, makes'cha stupid. It ain't pretty, what the storm does to people. They get sloppy, like you did with your cards. An' sometimes it ends in fire, and other times in bullets, but it's always because the storm got the better of you.'

' So how do I not let it? How do I beat it?' His mother had shaken her head. A little ways a way, his father was practicing with his throwing knives. Lua pointed to him.

' You see there? Watch your father. See how calm he is?' He could remember nodding. ' Well Ax, there's a storm brewing right now inside of him. See, Austin ain't any less angry 'an the rest of us. We've all of us got a storm on the inside, ready to break out. It threatens us every day, makes us stupid all the time. You can't beat, because it ain't something that can be beat. It ain't an opponent.'

Axel took a deep breath, picturing a whirlwind whipping around him. Streams of fire streaked through the wind, leading a reddish glow to his form. The heat threatened to burn him, turn his skin to paper and his blood to ash. The wind howled like a wolf around him, and he twitched.

' It's a weapon, Ax. Like everything else, it's a weapon. But like a gun or a knife, if you don't learn how to use it right, you'll just end up hurting yourself and others.'

Axel breathed in deep, the scent of smoke filling his lungs. The twister around him spun closer, biting at his arms as the circle he stood in shrunk.

' So wha'cha gotta do is learn to use it.'

The storm was ripping at his skin now, howling in his ears, threatening to tear him apart. But Axel stood firm. Somewhere over the roar of the winds, he could just make out his mother's voice.

' It's you storm, Axel, _yours_. Never lose sight of that. No matter how much the wind howls or how hard the rain hits, it's your storm.'

It was tearing into him now, pulling at his hair, clawing at his skin, trying to pull him away for the soothing hum of his mother's low voice. But Lua Brodie was equal to any storm that dared to threaten her and hers. She's given her back to the mercenary Austin Brodie long ago, and she protected her family with all the ferocity and dedication of a mother bear.

For one shining moment, the storm was silenced.

' _Use it._' Lua whispered.

Axel's eyes flew open.

In his mind's eye, the storm suddenly began to be drawn irresistibly inwards, being sucked into the very core of him. Energy flooded his veins. Adrenaline made everything swim into sharp focus. His heart hammered, and he could feel his mother's dark eyes beaming at him from across the great distances that separated them.

" Got it, Mom." He whispered into the gloom around him

Then, turning on his heel, using the distance and angle he'd calculated while standing perfectly still, Axel sent the sharp end of the grapping device soaring into the camera lens. It connected with a crash, the camera fizzling and emitting sparks for a moment before it dropped, falling to the dirt floor just a little out of arms reach.

Axel Brodie's parents had taught him well. He was focuses and calm in almost any situation, and he'd learned early to control his emotions, but never suppress them to the point of shutting them off.

' Always remember who you are, and don't let the order change you. Follow it, but don't lose yourself along the way.

Axel smirked.

" Watch me now, Viper." He goaded, and began to look around the tiny room for an escape route, safe in the knowledge that he was no longer being monitored.

* * *

" Are you sure this is a good idea?"

" We don't really have a choice. She's really going to call."

" Well, yeah, but..."

" Sy, we're at the end of our ropes. There's nothing anywhere. That symbol is as clear as mud, and no one can tell us anything about what's been going on."

" So you want to try and dig up dirt on _Viper_."

" It's not dirt Sy. It's just a couple of questions."

" Jaden..."

" Why are you so worried, anyway?"

" Because you are!"

" ..."

" See? You're not denying it."

" ...Sy, promise you won't let the others know about this."

" Huh? Why not?"

" Things are already getting out of hand and I..."

" Jay, you don't have to do this alone. You said you trusted us."

" I do. It's not that."

" Then what is it?"

" ...No one else can get involved."

" You mean..."

" This would destroy Atticus. It would hurt Brier, and Jessica and Miriam beyond repair. I don't know what it would do to Ben."

" She's...I think she knows, Jay. I think she knows something's going on."

" Did she say something?"

" Just...last night, when we got back from the movies, she said...She told me to be careful, and that she believed in me."

" ...That's not a bad thing."

" No, no it's not. I think maybe...we're kinda not giving everyone enough credit. I mean, I don't think we should drag them into it, but..."

" But what, Sy?"

" ...Mindy caught up with me today."

" Oh?"

" She told me to tell you that she believes in you, and she'll put her faith in you."

" ...So they've come that far."

" I think they get it, Jay. I think they're starting to understand. Ben said that Brier feels the same way, and Jessica looks really calm despite everything. I think they understand, Aniki."

" Really? I hope so. I never wanted them to feel like we didn't care about them, or..."

" No, they get it. They know that whatever happens now, it falls to us. They understand that."

" Atticus won't."

" No, I don't think he will. I don't know if he ever will."

" It's up to him to come to terms with it. But for now, we can't tell him. _Anything._"

" So why are you so wound up about this call?"

" ...I can't let her know either."

" What?"

" If I give away too much, then she'll figure out how much shit is about to hit the fan, and she'll want to fix it for me."

" Jaden..."

" She's my mother, Sy. She'll want to make this right, and she'll come here, and I'm afraid that if she does, I won't know how to save her."

" Do you really think you'll have to? I mean, she's a Blue Beret. She can handle herself."

" I just...things that happen here aren't normal."

" Understatement of the century there, Jay."

" I don't think conventional methods are gonna work here. I don't think _her_ methods will work here. We're talking about a guy whose stealing our energy and using it for some purpose we haven't figured out yet. Do you really think the UN can do anything?"

" They could stop him, I guess. Of course, that's assuming they believed us in the first place."

" Right. You see my point then. I don't those kind of tactics will work here."

" So you're gonna take it all on your shoulders?"

" No, I'm gonna ask you guys to help me stop this before it gets any farther. And if that means digging up something from Viper's past to help explain this, then I will. I just can't handle any more people knowing about this. I can't...if everyone knows about this, then there'll be pressure and...and I'll screw this up, Sy. I'll screw it up, and 'Kaa-san will come and...and...I won't know how to save her if it all goes wrong."

" You just have to hope that it won't."

" Hope for the best, plan for the worst?"

" That sounds about right."

" Well," Syrus said as he looked at the screen of Jaden's laptop, " get your acting skill on, because there's the call."

A window had opened, a flashing red light around the word 'Accept Call'. Jaden took a steadying breath, and then dragged the mouse over to the window.

He clicked the 'accept' button.

A video screen opened up. The woman from before, her dog tags shining against her black tank-top, smiled sweetly at him from her computer.

" Hello again, Juudai-kun. And Syrus-kun too, what a surprise."

" Hi Mrs. Yuki." Syrus said shyly. Then immediately blushed at his slip-up. " I-I mean, Colonel Yuki.

Sachiko waved it off.

" Maa, it's alright. So few people remember I'm a 'Mrs' too that it's nice to hear it once in a while." She beamed at the blushing boy. Sachiko Yuki was quite pretty, in her early forties, and kept in shape by rigorous military training that she sometimes foisted onto her son.

" I'll try to remember that, Ma'am." Syrus paused. " Gah, I sound like Hassleberry."

" That's Kia-chan and Sara-chan's little brother, right? Ne, ne, Juudai-kun says he takes after his sisters, is he right?" Her English accent was impeccable, surpassing even Jaden's, which tended to slip into an Asian one when he wasn't paying attention.

" Well, he's loud, and pushy, and very, very loyal." Sachiko laughed at the description.

" He certainly sounds like he's Kia-san's baby brother."

" ...'Kaa-san." Jaden said softly, trying his best not to look suspicious. His mother turned to look at him.

" That's right, you said you wanted to ask me something. Well, go ahead, Juudai-kun."

" Ah...eeto...it's kinda weird." He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. His mother scoffed.

" Juu-chan, you used to talk to imaginary friends in your deck. You've always been weird, so I've gotten used to it."

" Don't call me 'Juu-chan'!" Jaden yelled suddenly, red in the face. Beside him, Syrus snorted.

" Calm down." His mother said, and Jaden immediately dropped back into the chair he'd jumped out of. " I was only teasing. What's the question?"

" Well, there's this...gathering of all the sister schools here this year..."

" Oh?" Sachiko looked intrigued. " Does that mean you _finally_ got to duel that one boy you kept going on about? What was his name...Anderson-kun?"

" Jesse, yeah I dueled him. It was awesome." Jaden grinned, a pure, happy grin that Syrus hadn't seen in a while. " He has the most amazing cards, 'Kaa-san. They're called the Crystal Beasts, and they're so awesome."

" Sounds pretty."

" They are, I guess. I was more interested in their powers, but-"

" Uh, Jaden?" Syrus cut in, before Jaden could go off on a tangent about dueling. He hadn't seen his friend so childlike and bouncy since first year, but much as it hurt to put an end to that, they had a job to do.

" Huh? Oh, right. Anyway 'Kaa-san, the program coordinator said he knew you, and I was curious. His name is Thelonius Viper."

There was a pause, during which Sachiko's grey eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped open.

" Uh, 'Kaa-san-"

" _Cobra-chan?!_" She squeaked, looking delighted. From the way her eyes lit up and her smile went megawatt, one would assume she'd been told that Christmas had come early. She looked remarkably like her son in that moment.

" So...you know him, then." Jaden said, rubbing his ears. They were ringing from his mother's squeal.

" Cobra-chan and I go way back. We met during Initial Phase, if you can believe it. Misgarth wasn't even a country yet, just a back-up plan." She sighed happily. " I'd just joined the UN, chasing after Sori-chi. He didn't exactly return my advances at first, you know."

" 'Kaa-san, you drove a tank up to his office building."

" Ah, the good old days." She beamed, lost in memories. Syrus twitched.

" He mentioned that he knew you from the UN. What was he like?" Jaden asked, trying to look casual. He mostly succeeded, although his fingers were playing with the cuff of his red shirt a little too much for him to be completely relaxed.

" Hmm?" Sachiko pulled herself out of reminiscing. " Oh, he was always very serious. Never took part in April Fool's Day, if I remember correctly. But he was a good soldier. A damn good soldier. And he was good with kids. Strict, but kind. In fact, before he dropped off the map, we were considering sending you to him once you turned 13 for a little training. You said he's a teacher now? You probably would've ended up going to whatever school he's working at." Jaden blanched.

" 'Kaa-san!"

" Well, we couldn't expect Aya-chan to teach you all the things you really needed to know." His mother shrugged. Her loose brown and orange hair fell over her shoulders. " We seriously considered it, but..." She trailed off, looking distressed. Jaden and Syrus exchanged a covert glance, and leaned forward.

" What happened?"

Sachiko sighed.

" It's...hard to describe, Juu-chan." For once, Jaden didn't jump on the childish nickname. " There's a...a story."

" A story?" Jaden whispered. That sounded far too familiar.

" It's not a nice story. It's...just not a nice story, Juu-chan. On one of his last missions, Cobra-chan found...a little baby in the rubble. He stopped and picked it. But, his troop...there was this bomb...he'd stopped, so he didn't...they were gone, in a second."

Syrus and Jaden held their breaths.

" ...He decided to take the baby in. He named him Pierce, and he left the military. He...Pierce-chan...Cobra-chan called him his 'angel', because he saved Cobra-chan from that bomb. He loved that boy so much but..." Sachiko sniffed quietly. Her eyes were glittering with tears.

" Pierce-chan got sick. You were 12 at the time, Juudai. I remember that because when Pierce-chan...when he...You had just turned 12, and somehow, it wasn't fair that I had this beautiful, wonderful child, and Cobra-chan had to...Pierce-chan had to..."

Sachiko broke off, crying quietly into her hands. Syrus' eyes where shining.

" 'Kaa-san..."

" That was '19." Sachiko said, very softly. " Cobra-chan...he was never the same after Pierce-chan was gone. He dropped off the map completely. No one could find him. I used to think that he died right next to his son in that hospital bed. We sent our condolences, of course, but we never heard back."

Sachiko smiled a sad smile at her keyboard.

" I'm happy he remembers me so fondly. But...I can't help but wonder why he would come back now, after so long. What's the reason he disappeared? Why come to Duel Academy?"

" I don't know, 'Kaa-san."

Jaden wasn't lying, not quite; he didn't know why Viper was doing what he did. But at least, after talking to his mother, he had a vague idea.

* * *

Sometimes, 4kids edits make even less sense than usual. I mean, Cobra being changed to Viper? What was that? Does it date back to the G.I. Joe thing, and them having a bad guy by that name? Wouldn't that just make audiences realize he's the bad guy faster? And his son was Rick, and they changed it to Pierce. That really makes no sense. I mean, I can see the (flawed) logic in making it so Viper's squad was captured instead of killed (because war has NO consequences, and bad guys can't be sympathetic. One note, damnit, one note!), and letting Pierce die of a disease instead of running into the street being hit by a car (actually, that one might be even worse, because Viper had to sit there, watching his son fade away, unable to do _anything_. It wasn't quick. It took a long time, and he had to be there for it all.)

And yes, Jaden was born in 2007. Remember, we are Five Minutes into the Future here.

Sachio Yuki. I hope you all like, because she's going to be a recurring character, at least for the first part of this fic. I like her. But then, I created her, so I think I'm under obligation to like her.

See you all tomorrow!

MoS


	14. Adventures

Warning: Well, let's get this show on the road, shall we? Also, what is up with the uploading feature on the site right now? I couldn't upload my document! I had to copy and paste in order to get the chapter in!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

They were all crazy, of that much, Jim was sure. They were all certifiably insane, and no one was ever going to be able to convince him otherwise. As he sat around, listening to them bounce ideas of what to do and where to go to confront Viper off of each other, his one prevailing thought was that the Slifer Red Dorm had clearly, at some point, become a madhouse, and the inmates were running the asylum.

He'd come to Duel Academy because it sounded like a good idea. Things were starting to get dull and predictable at South, and he and Shirley had been itching for a change of pace. The stroking of his ego, calling him South's best, had also helped. Duel Academy was a legend. It was the first Academy to be created, and it was where the best of the best convened. To be able to go would be amazing; to be able to go for the sole purpose of dueling was absolutely mind-blowing. His bags had been packed before the day was out.

His expectations had been met. There was adventure around every corner; never a dull moment seemed to pass on the tropical island. If it wasn't a duel, it was vibrations making Shirley go nuts; if it wasn't vibrations, it was a mystery revolving around the Bio Bands. There was barely time to breathe, let alone think. Jim had always had a taste for adventure, and Duel Academy was providing it in droves.

But it couldn't be denied that things had gotten rather insane.

First, there was the fact that the Bio Bands were apparently dangerous. There were students taking up most of the room in the gym, passed out or barely conscious, collapsing after dueling. Viper, the one everyone was starting to believe was responsible, was nowhere to be found, having vanished without a trace. And, worst of all, Chancellor Sheppard had left the school. They were unarmed and stumbling around in the dark, a situation that didn't sit well with Jim at all.

And then there were the _people_.

Jim knew that it took all sorts, but he'd never met a group like the Slacker Club of Duel Academy.

First and foremost, there was Jaden Yuki, who Jim was 99 percent certain was crazy.

Absolutely, undeniably, _batshit_ _insane_.

There just wasn't any other way to put it. The plans Jaden hatched, the way he talked, the fact that he seemed so goddamn prepared for things to go to hell in a hand basket...the boy was clearly unhinged somewhere. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In a matter of days, Jim had seen Jaden get more done than all of the faculty put together had managed in two weeks. Jaden had taken one look at the state of things at the school, frowned a little, and then faster than Jim could blink, set up what was essentially a strategy committee and started working. He'd dug up dirt on Viper and fiddle around with the Bio Bands until they yielded something. He'd warned them all not to overdo it in their duels, no matter the risk of bad grades and expulsion. If it came to that, then at least they'd be alive and failing, instead of dead. Which, when put like that, sounded like a really good deal.

It didn't escape Jim's notice that the others jumped to follow Jaden's commands at the drop of a hat. He snapped his fingers, and they stood at attention, awaiting orders. While not the well-oiled machine of a militia or mercenary group, there was a quiet understanding that went through them all, particularly when Jaden started talking in that strange, dark voice of his. His tone got deeper, his words got heavier, and the entire room seemed to be filled to the bursting with his presence.

Jim himself wasn't immune. Helpful and kind though Jaden may be, there were moments when the boy was such a commanding presence that Jim was helpless before him. He did what Jaden asked because there wasn't any other option. He literally could not comprehend a world where he didn't listen to Jaden when the boy used that voice. It was very effective, and it got things done a lot quicker, but Jim preferred the quieter, gentler Jaden, who snuck out snacks for Shirley and liked to lie on the roof of the Slifer Red Dorm, staring at the sky. Jim didn't think for a second that Jaden was merely napping – he was probably planning a next move of sorts- but when Jaden was like that, he was so much easier to be around. He was calmer, more approachable. Jim didn't feel like he should be dropping to one knee every time Jaden looked at him out of eyes that couldn't seem to decide what colour they were. Those moments in between orders, when Jaden was just Jaden, and not some great, terrible force- those were the moments when Jim felt like he could really learn to like Jaden.

Despite the fact that the boy made his covered eye itch like mad.

Then there were the other members, particularly Alexis Rhodes and Chazz Princeton. Based on what he'd heard, Jim had come to Duel Academy expecting Chazz to be a spoil, self-entitled, but ultimately good person, who maybe pitched the occasional fit about his Slifer status, but stuck by his friends when the going got tough. What he'd found, though, was something entirely different. Chazz was a serious, sharp-eyed young man who was constantly watching the entire room at once. He deferred to Jaden when the boy used that voice, and playfully jibed at him at all other times. He goaded the others, especially the Academic Lia, into fights, but usually the worst fights occurred when the air was tense and one of them was at the breaking point. He was distracting them, Jim realized, from their worries. And if he had to be the scapegoat, then so be it.

The Chazz Jim was getting to know didn't have the simultaneous superiority and inferiority complexes he was supposed to have. The Chazz Jim was getting to know knew exactly who he was and what he could do, and he was fine with that. He might call Jaden a Slacker, but Jim noticed that, out of all of them, even Syrus, Chazz was the one who held Jaden in the highest regard, while at the same time, being willing to drag him down off that pedestal.

Which said nothing of Alexis, who followed Jaden like a loyal dog.

She was his general, Jim had come to realize. If there was a war, and Jaden was the ruler, then it was Alexis he sent to guide his troops, and Alexis he asked to help him plan battles, and, yes, Alexis he sent to fight on the front lines. The girl was an unstoppable force, all vibrant anger and devastating punches. She didn't look for a way to go around the wall, she smashed right through it, using the shattered pieces as weapons against the enemy. While Chazz was clearly the brains of the duo, Alexis, while not unintelligent, was the brawn, fighting with her fists where her duel disk failed and taking no prisoners.

She too, Jim had noticed, exhibited the confidence in herself that Chazz had. Wild and volatile as she was, she at least knew exactly who she was, which was more than most girls her age did. Eighteen and already a little too wise, Alexis was someone he never wanted to fight against, Jim realized. She was amiable and nice to him, but the look in her eyes when the danger Viper had brought down on them was discussed sent shivers down his back.

She would clearly do anything, become anything, to protect those she considered hers.

Syrus Trusedale was the only one who could come close to matching her. While he lacked Alexis' stature and natural fierceness, Syrus was a trap waiting to spring. He'd been almost constantly on edge since they'd started to unravel the mystery that was Viper, grinding his teeth and breathing fast. At first, Jim had thought it might simply be fear, but it wasn't. Not exactly. As he'd gotten to know Syrus, it had become clear that the boy was as impatient as they came. It stemmed from an incident in their first year that none of the group wanted to talk about, but Syrus was the type of person who didn't like waiting.

If there was going to be a fight, then they should have at it and get it over with.

Syrus was like Alexis in that there was a wild fire in his veins. He didn't look the part, but Jim had seen the damage done to Axel Brodie's face. The scars and cuts hadn't come into being on their own. Syrus was dangerous, in his own way, particularly because no one thought he could be. He was short and on the small side, so he was dismissed as a threat. But Syrus had the same instinct as Alexis, and experience had taught him a snap-decision making skill that was both a blessing and a curse. Syrus went for the throat when he attacked, and he was often too fast to be stopped.

Hassleberry was the easiest for Jim to understand. A fellow lover of dinosaurs, he and the younger boy had been able to spend hours just talking about the subject, bringing up digs they'd been to and books they'd read. Hassleberry had been happy to discuss his emergency transplant, which Jim was sure would never fail to amaze him. That the DNA had managed to activate with the boy's body and alter his own genetic make-up was nothing short of mind-blowing.

Jim liked Hassleberry best of all, because the boy was simple. He was easy to understand. He followed Jaden not only because of that voice, but because Jaden had won his loyalty, and once Hassleberry gave that, he was very unlikely to take it back. Hassleberry also didn't engage in the crazy schemes that Jaden, Alexis, and Chazz liked to concoct in the late hours of the night. He simply did as he was told, taking the order like a good soldier, and didn't look too hard into what was going on. Hassleberry wasn't stupid, but he saw no point in screwing up the world by complicating it. Something bad was happening. Jaden had a plan. Jaden needed him to do something to fight the bad thing that was happening. Hassleberry was ready, willing and able.

But if all the others had excuses for the way they acted and could argue his psychological assessment, there was someone who couldn't.

What Lia Shanner was doing with such a group, he couldn't figure out.

Lia was booky, anyone with eyes could see that. She was bookish and waspish to people who didn't know her too well, and she had a center as soft as marshmallows. She was a walking contradiction, blowing sweet then sour depending on her mood, but most girls were like that at that age. Unlike Alexis, Lia hadn't seemed to have figured out who she was. Her confidence was a front she put out in order to protect herself, a front that dropped when she was with friends and the tender light came into her eyes.

But why she was friends with the likes of Alexis, Chazz, and Jaden, Jim didn't know.

Lia didn't seem like the type. The other three were heroes, that much was clear. They were born for this sort of thing. Lia seemed like the type who'd be happier closeted away in her room with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. She wasn't the type to go running off into danger, or to put herself on the frontline in order to protect anyone. While Jim was certain she was a good person, he just couldn't see Lia willingly making the kind of sacrifices Jaden, Chazz, and Alexis seemed to be prepping themselves to make every day.

And Lia was an Academic. Her dueling skills were zero and, if the rest of the group was to be believed, her knowledge of Duel Monsters could barely be called rudimentary. She would be utterly lost in a world where they had to save the day by playing a card game. There just didn't seem to be a place for her.

Still, Jim admired her guts for showing up and staying. With all the talk of stolen energy and increasingly morbid predictions of what Viper wanted, it took guts to stick around.

While her fear of Shirley was a little depressing albeit, understandable, Jim decided he was going to keep an eye on the girl. She clearly didn't know what she was getting into, and someone had to better to pull her out of the hot water when she got in over her head. Jaden and his crew should worry about their crazy plans. Jim would watch the little Academic for signs of her folding under the pressure.

Though, if she'd hung around for two years, maybe she was better prepared for what was going to happen than he was giving her credit for. She probably had a better idea of what was going on than he did, though that was partly his own fault. He only listened with half an ear when the Slacker Club (did that include Jesse? It certainly seemed to, despite the boy being from North. Jim wondered why he didn't transfer already. He was clearly happier at Duel Academy) starting going on about ideas, because frankly, some of the things they referenced (Syrus stolen by Beasts, Shadow Riders, a dead teacher and bleeding, gibbering puppets under the control of 'the Light') scared the shit out of him.

Or maybe she was as crazy as the rest of them.

That was a definite possibility.

In spite of his misgivings, Jim mirrored the rest of their actions and looked up as Chazz entered the room. He was scowling, but that wasn't anything new. Chazz was scowling most of the time. Alexis' scowl though, was a little more disconcerting. She was usually in a good mood. Jaden looked pensive, and Syrus was pinching the bridge of his nose. Jesse slid down the couch to make room, and Hassleberry waved from the floor.

" So what did Gecko want?" He asked. On the kitchen table, Lia hissed. Jim glanced over, and decided that it was probably best not to tell her that Shirley had made herself comfortable under the table.

" To _enlighten_ us about the mystery of the Bio Bands." Chazz huffed as he plopped down in the armchair. Alexis and Jaden took the offered seats on the couch.

" He seems to think that everyone but him is an idiot." Alexis continued, crossing her arms. Syrus flopped next to Hassleberry, taking a casual peek at the cards he had spread out in front of him.

" At least he told us where to look." Jaden said, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged. Chazz scoffed.

" Yeah, and why was he being so generous with the information? There's gotta be something in it for him."

" Does it really matter?" Jaden asked. " We know where we need to look now."

" Where?" Jesse asked before Jim could.

" The animal research lab behind the school." Syrus said, speaking at last. From the kitchen table, Lia piped up.

" We have an animal testing lab? Why do we have an animal testing lab?"

" Remember the monkey?" Alexis asked teasingly. Jim and Jesse shared a confused look, but before either of them could ask, Lia's indignant shriek echoed from the kitchen.

" We _never_ talk about the monkey! _Never!_"

' _Monkey?_' Jim mouthed.

' _Beats me._' Jesse mouthed back. Just one more reference that flew over their heads.

" So that's where we gotta go?" Hassleberry was already climbing to his feet. " Well then, forward march, soldiers. Let's put this jackass down!"

" We'd probably be playing right into Adrian's hands." Alexis sighed. From the armchair, Chazz nodded.

" Yeah, no way he gave us all the info for free. He's not that nice a guy."

" Aren't ya bein' a li'l harsh?" Jesse winced at Chazz's tone.

" Look, Fairytale, speaking as an obnoxious rich kid, I can tell you that we don't just _give_ things, even info, not without getting something in return. For whatever reason, Adrian wants us to go there."

" Do you think Adrian's working for Viper?"

" I dunno. Anything's possible, I guess."

" Jaden?"

" That party was pretty last minute, don't you think?"

" Maybe he was trying to get a lot of energy for Viper?"

" But he got knocked out hard too. I was there. He was _out._"

" Maybe he's a good actor.

" Lexi, I kicked him in the ribs just to make sure he wasn't faking. No one's that good an actor."

" You just wanted an excuse to kick the guy."

" He's a jackass! You woulda done the same thing, you stupid bitch!"

" He was creeping on me!"

" Yeah, and that's why I did it!"

" ..._What?!_"

" I was hoping to knock some sense back into him. I mean, _you_? Puh-_lease_ he could do some much better."

" Why you-"

" Oh, knock it off, you two." Alexis' voice cut through Lia and Chazz's fight. They both fell silent, quelled by her tone. " So, Jaden, what's the verdict?"

The Slifer paused, leaning his head back against the couch. After a moment or two of silent deliberation, he spoke.

" I don't think Adrian's working for Viper. I do think he wanted us to go to the Research Labs. Maybe he's hoping we'll be some sort of distraction while he does...something. It's not the best of circumstances but..."

He lowered his head to look at the company.

" I think we should go."

Jim was surprised, pleasantly, that Jaden hadn't used that voice. He was purely Jaden Yuki, all smiles and quiet determination, and it warmed Jim's heart. The Orichalcum eye was quiet.

" Well," Chazz said, standing, " let's hurry up. We're wasting daylight."

" What he said." Alexis agreed.

" Ready and waitin', Sarge."

" Let's go, Aniki."

" Whatevah y' say, Jaden."

" We are so gonna die." Lia groaned, but there was a smile on her face. In fact, they were all smiling, in one way or another.

' Yeah.' Jim thought to himself as he observed them. ' Batshit insane, th' lotta 'em.'

He smiled.

He supposed it was a good thing he was a little insane himself.

" Oh Jesus Christ in _fucking heaven!_"

Ah, Lia had found Shirley.

* * *

" Heading out?"

Alexis jumped at the sound of the voice. Turning, she found her brother leaning casually on her open door frame. She clutched the duel disk to her hammering heart and breathed deeply, trying to ignore the dark look in Atticus' eyes.

" Jesus, Atty. You nearly gave me a heart attacked." She chided.

" You heading out?" He repeated, as if he hadn't heard her. He was eyeing the jean capris she'd changed into, and the sweater she'd tied around her waist. It was a little stupid, but she didn't know what she'd find, and she wanted to be prepared for anything. In the small bag on her bed, she's stuffed a change of clothing and some snacks, as well as her Swiss Army knife, a flashlight, and extra batteries for her duel disk.

She felt as ready as she was going to get.

When she didn't answer, her brother stepped into the room. His presence seemed to fill up the whole doorway, and Alexis hastened to give an explanation.

" Oh, uh, yeah!" Why was her brother making her so nervous? She didn't like the way he was looking at her. It was too knowing. " We decided to take Jim on a hike around the island. It's such a nice day, and we thought we'd show him around, tell him some stories, you know, do the bonding thing."

" You're lying."

He'd crossed the distance between them in three large steps. Alexis had never thought of her goofy brother as intimidating, but there was no other word to describe him. His face was black, and there was thunder in his eyes.

He knew.

' Oh-no.'

She had to try and salvage the situation, before Atticus did something stupid and tried to stop her or worse, tried to come along. She hated herself for cutting her brother out of her life, but what had happened to her the previous year had changed things beyond repair. She couldn't go back to being his baby sister. She couldn't be the girl he looked after and protected. As much as he wanted to (and as much as she suspected that Atticus _needed _to protect someone in order to feel some sense of worth after what had happened at the Abandoned Dorm), Alexis couldn't let herself be that girl again. She wasn't even sure that girl still existed. While she loved her brother, she'd grown up beyond needing him to be her hero and saviour. Alexis had learned to save herself, and this time, it was her turn to be the protector.

Too bad Atticus was never going to accept that, not as he was. He would never be able to accept not being her hero so long as he had Talia and Deon hanging over his head like a shroud and executioner's axe.

" What are you talking about?" Damnit, her voice sounded too high-pitched. " You're not making any sense, Atty. We're just taking a hi-"

" Stop bull shitting me!" He shouted, grabbing her shoulders. Alexis stared into her brother's desperate eyes and realized that it was too late to try and save the situation. He wasn't going to give her the choice.

" I've been your brother for _18 years_, Alexis, and I can tell when you're lying!"

He started shaking her.

" I know you've been doing crazy shit behind my back, you and everyone in your little group, and I want you to cut the crap and tell me what's going on! _Right now!_"

" ...Don't do this." She whispered, pleading with him. His eyes narrowed.

" I knew it. You're about to run off and get yourself killed." His grip tightened.

" I can handle myself." But he wasn't listening to her. He was looking at her face without seeing it, his face flushed feverishly and his eyes wild.

" I _told_ Jaden he shouldn't have given you back your memories! It's making you overconfident and you're going to get yourself killed like a rodent on a highway!"

" I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself." She pulled away from him a little, sorry to have to hurt him, but unwilling to give up after coming so far. " Let me go."

" No!" He snapped. " You're not going anywhere! We are going to stay right here, and you are going to tell me everything that's been going on! And that _includes_ what happened last year, because I _know_ something happened, and you've been avoiding me since June, and I am sick of i-"

Her punch caught him so hard in the gut that it knocked the air out of the word. They stood, suspended in time, the world ceasing to move around them as Atticus' eye s widened and Alexis' bangs fell into hers.

" ...Le...xi..." He wheezed, and then fell, unconscious. Alexis caught him in her arms, and his head lay against her shoulder. She pressed her face into his hair.

" I'm sorry." She whispered tearfully. " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Atty, I'm so sorry."

She rocked back and forth for a moment, crying into her brother's hair, memorizing the weight of his against her and the way he smelled. She was sure it would be a long time until she was allowed to be so close to him again. By the time he woke up, she would be gone on her adventure, and she was sure he wasn't going to forgive her anytime soon.

Carefully, she put him on the bed, and brushed the bangs out of his eyes. She pressed a final kiss to his brow, scooped up her bag, and darted out the door, locking it behind her.

By the time she reached her friends at the school's entrance to begin their trek, her eyes had been dried.

* * *

And there we have it! The inevitable crash of Alexis and Atticus! Seriously people, it was coming, you all knew it. It had to happen. But this isn't the end of Atticus and his...problems, don't you worry. We have a LONG way to go before that gets cleared up.

And Jim! Jim and his thoughts! I've had to down play him a lot in this thing because he is such a show stealer. Seriously. I start writing him, and I can never seem to stop. Stupid Sexy Jim.

Well, there isn't much I can say that Jim hasn't already said, so I'll see you all tomorrow for the descent into the animal research labs!

Lia: We NEVER talk about the monkey!

MoS

P.S. Please enjoy the mental image of Chazz kicking Adrian in the ribs after their duel. I know I do.


	15. Destinations

Warnings: I think I should just call this 'Mood Whiplash: The Chapter'.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._

And this chapter is dedicated to Nightshade07! Happy Birthday Nightshade!

* * *

**Year Three: Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Syrus blinked as the window at the front of the elevator displayed a bright, sunset orange sky and a large jungle reaching far out to the horizon.

" Uh, that's not normal, right?"

Lia slowly shook her head.

" Non, mon chéri, ce n'est pas normal."

" I'm gonna assume you agreed with me." The smaller boy said sardonically. Lia just smiled, and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out.

Beside her, Alexis gaped.

" What the..."

" Okay, seriouseh!" Jesse turned to poke a bewildered Jaden in the chest with his index finger. " Is there even _one_ buildin' in this place tha's _normal_?!"

" I...don't...know...?" Jaden offered, eyeing the hand warily. Jesse threw his hands up in irritation.

" Fo' th' love o' Gawd! How does this kahnda thahn' even _happen_?" He pointed to the simulated environment below. His frustration probably wasn't helped by the fact that Jim was avidly leaning against the window to get a better look, discussing the effort that must have gone into making it so realistic with a slightly smiling Syrus, an engrossed Hassleberry and an incredulous Chazz.

" How did ya even get th' _fundin'_ fo' this?" Jesse continued, clearly at the end of his rope. In his defence, he'd been a little more on the outskirts of some of their adventures, even with the Light, until recently. Adding to that the fact that, despite his status as an almost satellite member of their group, he'd seen some of the crazier events firsthand, Jesse's mind had finally collapsed under the weight of all the insanity Duel Academy kept throwing at them.

Chazz smirked.

" Your tax dollars hard at work."

Jesse turned, his eyes blazing.

" _Ya said we were in international waters! __**What tax dollars?!**_"

" I think we've lost Jesse." Syrus said conversationally. The elevator continued its decent, Jesse shouting in Chazz's face. Alexis face palmed.

" It had to happen sooner or later. Remember when Lia lost it about the Shadow Riders?"

" Oh, you mean the _Sailor Moon _dub villains?" Lia asked. " I remember that."

" You wouldn't stop laughing." Alexis reminded her. Lia blinked.

" I maintain that I was well within my rights to do so."

" Uh..." Syrus pointed to where Jesse had entered full rant mode. " ...Should we do something about that?"

" Hang on, I got this." Alexis shuffled over towards the Northern boy, almost falling into Jim once, who steadied her as she passed. The closer she got, the more she realized Chazz was having way too much fun with Jesse's breakdown. He was grinning and egging the other boy on, looking as though he didn't have a care in the world. Alexis sighed again.

And then she smacked Jesse hard on the back of his head.

" Get your shit together!" She shouted. Jesse flailed for a minute, thrown off balance. When he righted himself (because he wasn't going to go tumbling into Chazz, no way, no how), he stood up, shook his head like a dog getting out of a bath, and blinked at them all.

" What was Ah just doin'?"

" That was effective." Jaden said admiringly. Alexis smirked.

" You pick up a trick or two when you're a member of the Rhodes family." She paused, lost in thought. Then she shuddered. " I have some _weird _relatives."

" Lexi, you actually _met_ my family." Lia said, leaning against the glass.

" I thought they were lovely people."

" You don't have to live with them. And they didn't come to your graduation for what you suspect was the sole purpose of making you wish the ground would open up and swallow you whole."

" Isn't that your natural state of being?" Chazz asked snidely. Lia grinned sweetly at him.

" I will toss you out of this box."

" The glass isn't that breakable." He countered.

" Hate will give me strength."

" In direct opposition to everything every Saturday morning cartoon ever told you." Syrus quipped, jumping in before a fight could break out. Jim opened his mouth to comment, but Hassleberry stopped him by holding up a hand.

" Son, just don't. Trust me, yer better off not sayin' a word. When those two get inta it, ain't nothing short of an earthquake stoppin' 'em." He frowned at the thought. " An' even then I ain't too sure."

" It's the only way they know how to show their affection." Jaden laughed. Both Chazz and Lia whipped around to face him.

" Affection my ass, Slacker!"

" You fucking take that back, Yuki!"

Jaden just laughed again, and ignored the increasing death threats as the elevator came to a stop. Though it should be noted that he darted out of the enclosed space pretty quickly. It didn't save him from take a duel disk to the back of the head, courtesy of Lia.

" That was _my _disk, you bitch!"

" You weren't using it!"

" That doesn't mean you can just take it!"

" Well, who else's was I gonna use?!"

" Uh, the midget is standing right next to you!"

" But Syrus wouldn't've lent it to me!"

" Then just take it like you did with mine!"

" I can't!"

" Why not?!"

" I actually _like_ Syrus!"

"Alroight, break it up." Jim said as Chazz and Lia looked ready to go for each other's throats. " We've got a job t' do, yeah?"

There was electricity shooting through the air between them. Chazz and Lia glared at each other for another few seconds before swiftly turning their backs on each other, arms crossed and noses in the air.

" She's not even worth it." Chazz snapped at the same time Lia hissed, " He's not worth the effort."

They both froze, and Alexis burst out laughing.

" Oh god, guys, never change!"

Jim, satisfied that the fight had been diffused, went back to admiring the handiwork that had gone into the fake forest.

" Oi've nevah seen summin' loike this before. Th' details are ace!"

" Now's not 'xactleh th' tahme ta admahre the view, Jim." Jesse said, still a little put out from his rant. Jaden, at his side, nodded.

" Jess is right. We need to get moving and find Viper."

" So, split up to cover more ground?" Alexis offered. Leaning against a tree a little ways away, Lia snorted.

" We'll all be dead by morning." Jaden glanced over his shoulder, and they exchanged a look.

" It's to be expected from the girl who hides in the bathroom every time we play a slasher flick for movie night." He said. Alexis growled at him, causing Jim to look at her, wide-eyed.

" I have a low tolerance for gore! And what does that have to do with anything?"

" Once the group splits up, it's over. They're dead." Syrus explained cheerfully.

" Game over man, game over." Even Chazz was grinning. Alexis ground her teeth.

" It's almost as bad as goin' inta the creepy ol' building in the first place, 'cuz lord knows, that's never ended badly." Hassleberry patted her on the shoulder. She turned her growl on him, and he shut up, backing off and holding his hands up in a sign of surrender.

" As. I. Was. Saying." She grit out.

" Easy, Sheila." Jim said in a pacifying voice. Alexis let her shoulders drop a little bit.

" We should split up to cover more ground."

" I vote Lexi goes with Jim. He seems to have a calming effect on her." Syrus said, and jumped to hide behind Jaden when Alexis glared at him.

" I'll go too." Chazz said, walking over to where Jim and Alexis were standing with Hassleberry. " I've spent enough time with the Slacker lately."

" Aw, c'mon Chazz. You gotta enjoy it while it lasts. You graduate in June." Jaden grinned teasingly. Chazz 'che'd, and turned away. They all knew it was to hide a smile.

" I can hardly wait. Not having to see you every day'll be a dream come true." He said without heat. There was silence, in which Jim finished watching a flock of birds fly overhead, and turned to the others, nodding.

" Sound loike a plan, mates." He reached up to adjust one of the straps that held Shirley to his back, but it set Lia off. She squeaked, dove away from Jim's group where she'd been standing by the trees, and attached herself to Jaden's back while saying something far too fast and far too high to be understood. Jesse watched her.

" So Ah think Lia's comin' with us." He deadpanned as Lia tried to shove Jaden a little more in front of her. No one could see anything of her expect for a pair of huge hazel eyes peeking out over Jaden's shoulder at Shirley who, suspiciously, looked rather content with the goings-on. Jaden awkwardly reached back to pat Lia's head.

" There, there, Koneko-chan, you're fine."

She squeaked again.

" 'Kay, so it's me, Chazz, Jim and Hasseberry, and you, Jesse, Syrus and Lia?" Alexis asked, sorting the groups out. Jaden and Jesse looked at each other, and then nodded. Syrus was busy trying to coax Lia out from behind Jaden, which she was having none of.

" Huh? Yeah great. Let's go with that. Lia, you're gonna have to come out from behind him some time."

" Nope!" Came the squeaked answer. Alexis face palmed.

" She's starting to get coherent again. Keep trying."

" Everybody got their vidphones?" Jaden patted his pocket where his was always stored. Jesse was pouting again.

" We have _got_ ta talk th' other schools inta gettin' those."

" Vidphones?" Jim was leaning over Hassleberry's shoulder staring at it. The Ra boy grinned.

" Standard issue at Duel Academy."

" Tinny." Was all he said. No one bothered to point out that they couldn't understand him.

" So give a call if you find anything."

With a quick nod, the groups began to split up, Alexis and Hassleberry pulling ahead to fiddling with their vidphones together. Chazz started walking, but stopped as he noticed that Lia was hanging back from her group, biting her lip. She kept shooting glances at Alexis.

" What?" He asked gruffly. Beside him, Jim tipped his head to show that he was listening.

" Look after her." Lia said softly.

" I always do."

The younger girl rolled her eyes at Chazz's response.

" I just...I think something happened." Lia looked at them out of worried hazel eyes. " With Atticus, I mean."

Chazz's eyes widened for a moment, and then he nodded curtly, striding off without saying a word. Lia watched him go, for once something close to gratitude on her face, and she smiled a tiny little smile at the black-clad back. And then jumped when a warm hand settled on her head. Her hair was ruffled.

" Don' you worry your pretty li'l head, Kitty-Cat. Alexis is in good hands, Oi promise." He mussed up her curls again. " Now off wi'cha. Jaden and th' other''ll get ahead. Go on." He gave her a shove. Lia, blushing and not quite sure how to act (he reminded her, in that moment, of Magda), nodded once and scampered off, calling for Jaden and Syrus to wait. When Jesse called back and asked if she wanted _him_ to wait, she replied that no, he could go on ahead, it wasn't her problem if he got himself lost.

Jim laughed, and hurried to catch up to his group.

* * *

" I still can't believe this place."

" You an' me both, Sah. What's the point?"

" Well, there was that dueling monkey-"

" _That we don' talk about._"

" ...There was this monkey, and they'd taught him how to duel, and then he kidnapped Koneko-chan and Jasmine, so I had to duel him, and-"

" _Whispering is still talking about it!_"

" Gah!"

" Have ya always been this stealteh, o' is tha' a recent thahg?"

" Quiet, Fairytale."

"Whah do ya keep callin' me tha?"

" Your last name is Anderson, Jesse."

" So?"

" ..._Hans Christian Andersen_."

" But tha's spelled differently!"

" Eh, sounds the same to me."

" Not helpin' me here, Jay."

" Not really trying to, Jess."

" Geez, you guys."

" If you want us to leave you alone, just let us know."

" Respectfully, darlin', shut it."

" He's so easy."

" Take it easy, Kitten."

" You're no fun, Sy."

" Honestly, Ah'm just glad we managed ta _fahnd_ this place."

" A nice attempt, but I'm gonna have to take point off for obviousness."

" Lack of subtlety and a shoddy execution."

" All in all, only a four out of a possible ten."

" Mr. Anderson's conversation changing attempts definitely need work before he's ready for professional competition."

" Oooh, look at him glare, Kitten."

" I'm shaking in my sneakers."

" Lay off of him guys."

" Oh, _now_ ya help me? As Ah was saying, Ah'm glad we managed ta fahnd this place. It's big, but it's pretty well hidden. Those campus maps were a godsend."

" ...What?"

" Th' campus maps were real helpful."

" The what?"

" Campus maps?"

Jaden froze, his jaw hanging open. Then he looked skywards, comical tears running down his face.

" Oh, come the hell on! _Come the friggin hell on!_"

Jesse watched his friend proceed to rage against the heavens in an impressive and incomprehensible mixture of Japanese and English.

" Did Ah say sumthahn' wrong?" Syrus and Lia walked passed him, not the least bit perturbed by Jaden's shouting.

" Jaden wants a campus map." Syrus said.

" But Jaden never gets a campus map." Lia concluded, smirking over her shoulder.

" Oh." Jesse looked down at the vest pocket in which he had stored the piece of paper. "Ah feel bad now."

" Don't." Lia assured him. " It's not your fault Jaden can't figure out where the Student Services Office is."

" I strongly suspect that there are forces working against me." Jaden stomped up, still looking. " And by forces, I mean you guys."

" Us?" Syrus smiled innocently. Far, far too innocently.

" Whatever do you mean?" Lia mirrored her friends grin. Jaden made a rude gesture. " I believe we've upset him, Syrus."

" I do believe that you're right."

" You know, one of these years, I'm gonna get one just to spite all of you."

" Sure you will, Aniki."

" Of course, Jaden."

" We should prolly keep goin'." Jesse said, sweatdropping at the interaction of the three friends. He started back down the path, Lia, Syrus and Jaden following him.

" How do we even know this is the right way?" Lia asked. Jaden opened his mouth to answer her, but froze. His chest constricted, as thought he'd been struck there with something sharp. The air was knocked out of his lungs and his heart started pounding in his ears, drowning out all other sounds. His visions blurred in front of him as overhead, the sunset sky vanished, replaced by the walls of a dark dome. He distantly heard the other three gasp, voicing their concerns, but the words were lost to him as the wind suddenly began to pick up, and he lost his balance, falling down, down, down...

_There was a great ocean of sand stretched out before him, running miles and miles away from where he stood. The dunes rose and fell like the waves of an ocean, but instead of the steady, soothing motion the tide, there was a stillness that stole the breath from him. _

_There was no noise; not one single thing sounded in the vastness. The sky hung a sickly shade of deep green, black clouds crawling across it like worms burrowing their way through dirt. Against the pale pallor of the sand, the sky appeared to be darker than it actually once. He squinted his eyes as he looked over the dunes, their paleness reflecting a brightness back at him that hurt. The wind picked up, for a moment, kicking up a dust storm. His arms came to shield his face, the tiny grains leaving stinging marks as they hit his skin._

_He became aware of a terrible heat from somewhere up above. Looking towards the sky again, wincing as he got sand in his eyes, he located the source._

_Three glowing suns beat down on him where he stood, forming a triangle high, high above him._

_Memory exploded over him in a rush of images: A man, a woman, a dagger and a price. The gleam of a medallion, broken in two. A promise. The woman's sad eyes. People down on one knee, bowing to him._

_The threat of monsters looming overhead._

_A hissed warning, and the quiet death of a noble warrior._

_Regret and sacrifice._

_He'd been here before. Years ago, but the landscape had not changed and the heat of the suns beat down as hard as ever._

_This was-_

" _Jaden?"_

_A voice scattered his thoughts._

" _Jaden, why would you play with me?"_

_It was childish, bell-like. The high pitched whine of an ignored child who had yet to learn patience._

_It set his teeth grinding._

" _Don't you __**like **__me anymore?"_

_The sweat that trickled down the side of his face was cold, despite the heat of the suns overhead._

" _Don't you want to be with me anymore?"_

_That voice, that awful, wonderful voice! He knew it, he knew like he would have known his own reflection! But what was the name?_

" _I've missed you so much, Jaden. Why did you go away?"_

_It was on the tip of his tongue, gummed up with flashing images. The table, the cards, the silver-and-purple thing –_

" _Why did you __**leave**__ me?"_

_He hadn't, had he? Because to leave the owner of that voice would be a crime, wouldn't it? There had been a promise, there must've been, because he remembered the vaguest hint of sunset and the peak of a mountain, and vibrant, dual coloured eyes that looked right through to the heart of him._

" _Why did you __**abandon**__ me, Jaden?"_

" _Who are you?!" He screamed at last, his voice almost lost to the wind that was whipping up around them. The suns had vanished behind a cloak of black clouds. The air was heavy. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, and the storm began to gather._

_Again._

" _You don't remember me? You don't even remember that much?"_

" _Show me your face!" His frustration made him bold, and he took a step forward. There were shadows of figures just beyond his vision, outside of the swirl of sand that had kicked up around him._

" _You might've forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten __**you.**__"_

" _Please!" He begged, hoarse at the throat. " Please, show yourself!"_

_But the only answer he received was the scream of the winds as the storm grew closer._

_But then, miraculously, there was an answer._

_A great, terrible eye, surrounded by bulging veins that led nowhere, appeared in the very center of the storm before him, It opened with a sicken sound like a plunger being pulled, and was horrified, held transfixed by the ruby-red pupil that gaze past his flesh and past his bones and right into his soul._

" _Soon." The voice crooned, somehow heard over the roar of the winds. " Soon, you'll be __**all mine**__ again."_

" Jaden!"

He was abruptly shaken awake. Syrus, Lia and Jesse floated above him like moons, swimming in and out of focus. The hard ground at his back made it hurt, because there was a twig digging into his shoulder. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His throat felt very dry.

" Jaden! Oh, thank god!" Syrus stopped shaking him. " You just collapsed!"

" Ya dropped, rahght outta nowehere!"

" Hang on, I've got a water bottle." Lia began to root around in her pack. Jaden coughed.

" Guys?" He said hoarsely. Three sets of eyes turned to look at him. He smiled weakly.

" We're definitely going the right way."

* * *

I enjoy breaking Jesse's mind on occasion. It's just...fun to watch him flounder.

Jesse: Ah'm _so_ glad mah mental pain brings ya joy.

...How long have you been there?

Jesse: Th' en-TAHRE tahme ya unobservant bitch!

...I will write Spiritshipping into this. Don't think I won't.

Jesse: Eventually, Ah'm gunna call yo' bluff on tha'.

I do believe that I'm wearing you down.

Jesse: GET BENT!

Anywho, yes, breaking Jesse. And the triumphant return of the campus maps! I love the campus maps. They're so helpful.

Jaden: I wouldn't know.

I know you wouldn't know. That's the joke.

Jaden: ...I don't like you.

Spi~iritshi~ipping!

Jaden: Fujoshi! *dives for cover*

Is it sad or amusing that that is his automatic response? Bit of both?

Anyway, happy birthday, Nightshade, and I'll see you all tomorrow! Wait...Oh thank god, not the Adrian chapter! Thanks Christ.

MoS


	16. Explanations

Warnings: Is that...is that a clue about what's going on? It is! It is a clue about what's going on! ...Enjoy it people, this isn't gonna be a steady thing. You will be thrown right back into confusion tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" _You seem distracted."_

_Jaden looked up. The classroom was empty. His binder lay open in front of him, the pages blank. He hadn't taken a single note. That was strange; Lia's diligent conditioning had had him taking notes in all his classes for going on three years. He hadn't had an empty page in his notebook at the end of a class since graduating middle school. It was a little funny, he supposed. What was once so familiar to him had become foreign, just like so many other things in his life. Everything that seemed like it should be comforting and helpful instead seemed alien to him, like it was so far removed from him that he barely recognized it anymore. Or maybe it was him that was remote._

_He looked up at Professor Stein._

" _Do I?"_

_The history professor glanced down at his binder._

" _You didn't take notes. I'll admit that when you first arrived, I expected you to be just another Slifer Slacker, but you seem to really try in class, Jaden." The man said in his droning voice. _

" _If I don't, I get in trouble." Jaden rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. Professor Stein smiled a little, and pulled out a chair from where he was standing in the row in front of Jaden. _

" _Still, you were incredibly distracted today. So what's up?" He settled himself on it backwards_

_Jaden sighed._

" _It's just...things seem out of control, don't they?"_

" _You're talking about the survival duels, aren't you?" Jaden nodded. Professor Stein crossed his arms over the back of the chair. " Well, I can't deny that things seem to be going wrong."_

" _Exactly! I mean, just look at what we've had to do to the gym! And none of the students are even sick! They're just...It's..."_

_He trailed off, unsure of what to say. There was a lot that he __**wanted**__ to, but didn't dare for fear for giving something away._

_Professor Stein favoured him with a small smile._

" _Your concern for your fellow students is admirable, Jaden."_

_The Slifer shrugged._

" _It just all seems so wrong. And it all started when Viper came."_

" _Yes, that's true, but just because two events happened at the same time doesn't mean that they're linked." The history teacher frowned. "Although in this case, I think you might be on to something."_

" _What do you think, Professor?" Jaden asked, eager for a second opinion. Just once, he wanted and adult to offer some advice that wasn't Crowler spewing out nonsense in a panic, or Bonaparte snapping borderline bigotry in his appraisal of the Reds._

_Professor Stein leaned back to stare up at the ceiling. At his side, though Jaden was unsure if the man knew his student could see him, Scar Knight appeared. The monster had a habit of hovering over the teacher as he worked. He was a clearly a comforting presence for Stein, despite the slight aura of black that surrounded him. It had gone down quite a lot since first year, though, so that was something._

" _I think you are probably on to something in your suspicion of Viper. I think that things are probably going to get worse before they get better, because that's usually the way of things. And I think that you are probably going to do something about it." The man looked back down to smile at Jaden. It was a warm, encouraging smile, and the boy flushed a little._

" _Professor?"_

" _I've been your teacher for three years, Jaden. I've watched you. When this sort of problem rears its head, you're usually the first to go running out to face it."_

" _That's because everybody expects me to." He said, bitterness creeping into his tone. " Everybody just stands there and assume I'll handle it, whether I want to or not! It's like I don't have a choice! I-" He stopped, suddenly feeling ashamed of losing his temper. " I'm sorry. I didn't mean...That sounds ungrateful and immature."_

" _No, it sounds like a 17-year-old who is still figuring the world out. Which, may I remind you Jaden, you still __**are**__."_

_And hand reached out and clapped him on the shoulder._

" _Jaden, you've accomplished incredible things. You defeated the Sacred Beasts, and you extinguished the Light of Destruction. I'm sorry to say this, but those aren't the feats of someone meant for an ordinary life. But no one, and I do mean no one, has the right to begrudge you the time you need to figure out what you want. You're still just a kid." Professor Stein heaved a sigh, and leaned back again. Scar Knight rested a hand on his shoulder, just as the man had done with Jaden._

" _There are a lot of things that aren't fair about the world, Jaden. One of them is that the weight of it is placed on the shoulders of kids like you. You're being forced to grow up too fast, Jaden, and for that I'm sorry."_

" _Why doesn't anyone else do something? Why does it have to be me?" He hated that he sounded like he was whining, but he couldn't help it. A dam had broken out somewhere inside of him, and he was either unable or unwilling to plug it up._

' _Let me have this.' He thought desperately. ' Let me have this one moment, and then I'll save the world. Let me just have one moment of weakness, __**please.**__'_

" _I think, perhaps Jaden, that it has to be you because it can't be anyone else."_

" _If you tell me it's destiny-"_

_The man laughed, his long hair falling over his shoulders. Jaden pouted, feeling like he was being made fun of._

" _No, I think you had enough of that last year." The man shook his head. " No Jaden, what I mean is that you are a hero."_

_Jaden blinked. Professor Stein smiled at his confusion._

" _Jaden, take a look at your deck. What is it made up of?"_

" _**Elemental Heroes?"**_

" _You know, for his dissertation, Dr. Crowler wrote an interesting paper. He wrote on the psychology of deck structuring, and how you can see into a person's heart by how they build their deck."_

_Jaden's eyes bugged._

" _Crowler did that?"_

" _I know he doesn't see the type, but he loves dueling, just as much as any Duelist at this school. But my point is, Jaden, that you put heroes into your deck, and you play them all the time, and at the end of the day, they are who you aspire to be."_

_Jaden opened his mouth, maybe to protest, or maybe to agree, but Professor Stein held up a hand for silence._

" _Alexis Rhodes plays a Cyber Girl deck because she's focused on the future and improving herself. Her brother plays a dragon-based deck because he identifies with their ability to safe guard treasures from any intruder. Your friend Syrus plays a Vehicroid deck because he's fascinated with their mobility and he wants to be able to move past the person he used to be. And you, Jaden, play an Elemental Hero deck because you are irresistible draw to the center of the danger, and want to set it right."_

_This time, Jaden's jaw did drop. He'd heard the theory before, but he'd never had it applied to him and his friends._

_Professor Stein nodded to himself._

" _You're a hero Jaden. It'd be against your nature to be anything else. You can't stand to see injustice and cruelty. You can't stand to see people oppressed and in danger. And it's beyond you to walk away from that sort of thing. You are a hero at the very core of yourself, and you will never be able to just stand idle. It's not in your nature. And Jaden," Professor Stein was standing now, " it might put a lot of weight on your shoulders, but I don't think being that kind of a person is a bad thing. Maybe you've assumed that mantle a little too early, but give it time."_

_His teacher beamed at him, and the dark aura around Scar Knight almost vanished under the light of that smile._

" _You will definitely grow into it."_

" _Thanks, Professor." Jaden said at length. His cheeks were blazing fiercely, and his hands clenched on the paper he was holding. The crinkling noise caught Professor Stein's attention. He looked down._

" _Now, what's this?" He tilted his head to get a better look at the symbol. " Jaden, where did you see this?"_

" _Huh? Oh, just...around. I've been trying to figure out what it is, but I just can't seem to get anywhere." He rubbed the back of his head again, suddenly on the verge of panicking again. He hadn't meant to let anyone outside of their little group see the symbol. It seemed like it was dangerous, and he didn't want-_

" _It's a rune."_

_Jaden blinked._

" _I'm sorry?"_

_Professor Stein was getting up and walking towards his desk, gesturing for Jaden to follow him. The boy jumped up from his seat and did. When he reached the desk, the history teacher pulled open one of the drawers on the side facing the whiteboard, and reached into it. A moment later, his hand emerged, holding a weathered, dog-eared book._

" _It's a rune. Not a commonly used one, so I'm not surprised you couldn't find out what it meant." He opened the book and began flipping. Jaden stood quietly beside him, his heart hammering in his chest. He scarcely dared to breathed, fearful that he would shatter the dream in which he was __**finally**__ getting somewhere with the symbol._

_Professor Stein stopped flipping, and turned the book over to show Jaden a page with photographs of large rocks covered in inscriptions, many of them circular._

" _It's not a known alphabet, and we've yet to discover a key or reference point, but symbols like the one you're holding have been showing up on tablets and in the remains of ancient settlements for a very long time. One of the theories is that they were meant to ward off evil, but others think they might be a kind of...well, a way to cast spells. Either way, they have clear ritual significance. They've been called Cyclic A."_

" _How do you know this symbol is one of them if there's no concrete alphabet?"_

_The man pointed to one of the pictures. It was of a stone, covered in carvings._

" _You see this? It's one of the largest pieces with these runes on it that we have. And there are certain traits that keep appearing."_

" _Like?"_

" _Take a closer look, Jaden." He was handed the book. He stared at the picture, taking the carvings. They had different centers, depicting crude pictures or symbols of things but..._

" _They're all circular." He said. Professor Stein nodded._

" _Correct. It's been hypothesized by some that the circular shape of the rune might be a symbol in and of itself."_

" _Of what, Professor?"_

" _There are several answers to that question, but personally, I subscribe to the one that states that the circle represents completion._

" _Completion?"_

" _It would make sense. Many things are seen as going in a cyclical motion. The rise and fall of the sun, the change of the seasons. The first methods of time keeping were circular so that they could track the movements of the sun and the stars. A circle, Jaden, is a representation of something coming around."_

" '_The circle is complete? When I left you, I was but the learner. Now __**I**__ am the Master.' That kind of thing?" Jaden couldn't resist. His teacher laughed._

" _Yes, something like that. But there are other traits that appear. Like the lines inside of the circle being representative of a natural force. You see here?" He pointed to a small circle on the picture. Within it was another circle with four petals shooting out of the middle. " This is believed to have been used to ward off negative emotions. In academic circles, it's been called 'The Rune of Tears'."_

" _Tears?" Jaden squinted at it. " I guess those kind look like tear drops."_

" _Exactly. Now, judging from the depiction in your rune, I'd say that looks like a whirlpool, wouldn't you?"_

" _That's what I thought, yes." Jaden nodded quickly, but his eyes didn't leave the picture in the book. There was something __**very**__ familiar about those runes..._

" _Well, a whirlpool draws things towards its center, and it's very difficult to fight the current it employs. So, making an educated guess based on what I know about Cyclic A - and I wrote my Master's Thesis on them in regards to Duel History- I'd say that this rune represents the drawing of something irresistibly towards a center-point. What I mean is, the rune invokes the sense of a whirlpool pulling something into it. It might be a spell to ward off evil spirits – to keep them from 'acquiring' people – but I think it's just as likely to be a sign of the harvest."_

" _Harvest?" Jaden's heart stopped. Professor Stein nodded._

" _Yes. As strange as it may seem, the idea of something being 'drawn in', or 'pulled irresistibly' may have been a fortuitous symbol for a good harvest. You have to remember that these symbols were probably used by people who were still nomadic a great deal of the year. They might have settled in the winter, but during the summer and fall months, they would have been hunter-gathers, and their 'harvest' would have consisted of what they could scavenge from forests and hunting parties. They would have to symbolically 'pull' their nourishment for the winter months from the surrounding area, and a rune like this would represent a bounty being dragged towards them. Of course, there are many other interpretations that could be made. For example..."_

_But Jaden had stopped listening. Jaden had stopped doing everything but sucking in a deep, shuddering breath as he listened to Professor Stein explain the rune to him._

_The Rune of the Harvest._

_All the technology that had gone into the Bio Bands was nothing more than a front._

_Viper was using the rune that was on every one of the bands to collect their energy._

* * *

" Natural defences." Alexis sighed. In front of her, the tiger growled menacingly. " I hate natural defences."

" If this thing turns into an Amazon that wants to duel us, I'm out. I'm so out." Chazz said, carefully backing away with her.

From where he was undoing the straps holding Shirley on his back, Jim paused. Hassleberry did the same.

" ..._What_." They both said. Chazz and Alexis both blinked, coming to the realization how what they'd just said had sounded.

" Eh, there was this Amazon..." Alexis said, trying to figure out how to make the story make sense.

" But she was really a tiger..." Chazz continued, then stopped like Alexis, realizing he sounded insane.

" ...It's a _long_ story." They said as one person. Then looked at each other. And blinked. " Stop that. No, _you_."

" Gahys! Can we maybe focus on the ferocious man-eatin' _tahger_ comin' towards us?" Hassleberry snapped, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

" If it's not someone trying to duel us of our souls..." Chazz sighed, backing up more. Alexis followed suit.

" ...Then it's an animal that has no right being on a tropical island in the mid-Pacific trying to eat us." She concluded.

" You mean like that spider?"

" I'm trying not to think about that, thanks Chazz."

" I aim to please."

" Hey, do think this explains some stuff?"

" What?"

" This facility. Do you think it explains some of the crazy wildlife we've got going on?"

" Lexi, even if it _did_ explain the wildlife – and I'm not saying that it does- then that still leaves the fact that we have _pine trees. And it snows in the winter!_"

" Okay, okay, it was just a theory." Shirley dropped to the ground beside Jim, her jaw open to display her vicious looking teeth. Alexis blinked. " I am _so_ glad Lia isn't here."

" You both seem rather calm 'bout all this." Jim observed, cracking his belt like a whip to hold the tiger off. Chazz shrugged.

" I've been through worse. What's the worst that thing could do?"

" Maul you?" Hassleberry said, raising a brow. Chazz waved the comment off.

" Still not the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

" Yeah, tell me about it." Alexis sighed. " I've been choked by mist, locked in a sarcophagus twice, been dangled over lava, nearly had my dueling spirit sucked out, and last year, I got possessed by an evil entity that wanted to tear the earth down like it was made of paper mâché." She paused, and ignored the looks Hassleberry and Jim were giving her. " Chazz, and I think Duel Academy might be Hogwarts."

" What makes you say that?"

" We're in constant danger from magical things and the teachers just kinda let us wander around on our own, stumbling towards the solution."

" I'm not gonna lie, I _kinda_ wanna see what the insurance policy on this place looks like." Chazz had started walking away, leaving the tiger behind. Even the large feline looked mighty confused as to what was going on. Which, of course, left it wide open for Shirley to attack.

" I wonder if Mr. Kaiba is covered in case of the Sacred Beasts breaking out." Alexis mused.

" Or random coliseums being built on the island. Do you think he even knows about that?"

" How d'ya think he explained the Whahte Dorm to the shareholders?" Hassleberry asked. Chazz glanced over his shoulder.

" He'd do what any good business man in his position would do."

" Which is?"

" _Lie._"

" Ah, that proud tradition."

Behind them, they could hear the sounds of Shirley's growls (which were starting to sound like roars) as she fought the tiger.

" You think he trains her, or she just listens to him for some, inexplicable reason?"

" Li'l of column A, li'l of column B."

" What do you think, Lexi?"

There was silence.

" Prahvate Lexi?"

No answer.

" Aw crap!"

Chazz darted back, swearing under his breath. All around him the trees blended together and one place looked exactly like the next, and the one after that. There was no sign of Alexis' blue clad figure, and no matter how much he yelled, she didn't answer. Panic started to swell up inside of him. He'd said he'd look after her. And a promise was a promise, even if it was to a bitch like Lia. He opened his mouth to yell again, and nearly went over flat as his foot caught on something.

" Whoa Jesus!" He waved his arms around. Then blinked.

Hanging by one arm onto the rim of a square hole in the ground, was Alexi Rhodes.

" My hero." She said wryly. Chazz blushed, and then knelt down. The ground felt slippery, but he offered his hand.

" C'mon, I'll pull you up."

" If you get us both trapped down here, I'm going to kill you and use you for sustenance until I'm found." She still reached up her hand.

" Charming." Chazz started pulling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hassleberry arrive, and Jim was growing large in the distance.

" What 'appened? Oi 'eard a scream!"

" Oh sure, _he_ heard me scream." Alexis grumbled, using her free arm to help haul herself back onto solid, if wet, ground.

" Lay off the chocolate bars, Lex."

She shot Chazz a glare.

" You did _not_ just call me fat."

As Alexis lunged and started snarling in Chazz's face (who was grinning at the fact that he's successfully distracted her from the fact that she'd nearly just dropped 30 feet into unknown darkness), Hassleberry sighed.

" Well, at least we know she's fahne." Jim was staring off into the distance. "What is it, soldier?"

" Have a Captain Cook at that." He pointed towards the horizon. Though it was dark, there was the outline of a building rising up out of the tree line in the distance. Shirley was already starting to move towards it, her growls getting deeper as she went. The trio paused, and then looked at Jim. He looked back, wondering why they weren't following him towards the building.

" What?" They asked as one in confusion.

He face-faulted.

* * *

Hi Professor Stein! You don't hate Jaden in thsi version because he's not a bad student! I mentioned him WAAAY back in chapter 2 of Year One, remember? And now I've brought him back for an info dump! Yay the info dump. It give us information, especially on Cyclic A, which I admit to taking the name from Linear A and Linear B, old forms of writing that I learned about in my Greek Myth class last year. Just, since the symbols are circular, Cyclic seemed to make more sense.

And yes, Professor Stein is not an antagonist here! I made sure of that by making Jaden someone who genuinely tries in class. Stein has absolutely no reason to hate Jaden, at least not enough to want him dead. In fact, because of Jaden - indirectly- I think Stein might be getting better. His students haven't abandoned him here, and he's not really crazy anymore. I decided on this a LONG time ago, and I'm so excited to see this plot point get written out! No particular reason why, it just makes me happy to see things that I planned for years ago finally being released for you guys to read.

And hi mentions of events in Year One. I just can't stop laughing as I think of Jim and Hassleberry's faces at the 'amazon turning into a tiger' line. It's completely out of context and it makes. No. Sense. Ah, Shadowriders.

Duel Academy might be Hogwarts. Maybe.

And Jim is as incomprehensible as ever.

Well, enjoy this, because tomorrow, the slimey bastard comes back, and we all know how much I love writing about him! (smiles painfully) See you then.

MoS


	17. Missions

Warning: Adrian's back. Yay. All the yay. ...Let's just get this over with, okay?

Adrian: I'm sensing some hostility here-

You will speak when spoken to and not a moment before!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._ Or anything, really.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

As embarrassing as it was, _Mission Impossible_ was playing in his head.

Adrian wanted to wince at how childish it was, but couldn't help it. He was crawling through an air duct that was fraught with lasers, dressed like a cross between a stereotypical spy, and stereotypical ninja.

Honestly, he could practically _feel_ the brow Echo would raise at.

' Don't get distracted, Adrian.' He instructed himself mentally. ' You're here to find out what Viper's hiding, not to play ninja.'

" _You dug up some more data, I see."_

" _Amazing what a little time can do." Echo didn't quite sound sarcastic, but there was a reprimand in her tone that he knew he should follow. He nodded._

" _Go ahead and tell me what you found."_

_Echo looked down at the paper she was holding._

" _As previously stated, there was a time gap between Viper's leaving the military, and his joining that staff of West Academy. Well, I found some records of him in the years of 2012-2019."_

" _What was he doing?"_

" _He worked at the local military academy."_

_Adrian blinked._

" _That's not exactly what I'd have expected him to do. Why leave the UN in the first place if he was just gonna keep being a drill sergeant?"_

" _I thought that too." Echo pulled out another paper. On his laptop, Adrian saw a new file open. This one had a picture of smiling, blond haired boy. _

" _This is Pierce Richard Viper. Thelonius Viper's son."_

" _He had a __**kid**__?!" Adrian's jaw dropped._

" _Pierce was adopted. As of 2012."_

" _The same year he left the military." Adrian's eyes narrowed. " Is there a concrete connection?"_

" _Not exactly." Echo shook her head. " The debriefing report says that he and his troop were en route to their extraction point when..."_

" _When?" Adrian prompted, confused. It wasn't like Echo to falter._

" _Adrian..." She said softly. " There was an ambush. A bomb...the investigation team labelled it a tragic accident...they forgot to check..."_

" _Echo?" He was getting worried. He'd never seen Echo so put out before._

" _Adrian, they all died. His entire platoon. The bomb went off and..."_

_She looked away. Adrian felt sick._

" _...The...The field report said...scattered..."_

" _Oh god." Adrian sank into his seat. He put a hand over his eyes, trying to block out the images Echo's words suggested. " If that didn't mess him up good..."_

" _Viper apparently had broken away from the rest of the group. It doesn't exactly say what happened on the report, but..."_

_Adrian could hazard to guess. He looked at the picture of the boy._

" _When was that photo taken?"_

_Echo quickly shuffled the papers, trying to hide her shaking fingers._

" _2018. Pierce was six-years-old."_

" _So he would've been an infant in 2012." Adrian steepled his fingers, thinking._

" _Exactly. I'll bet my life savings that it was a baby that distracted Viper and saved him from going into the bomb site."_

" _With the amount my family pays you, that's a lot of money, Echo." Adrian glanced at the picture again to avoid Echo's deadpanned look. She hated it when he tried to make jokes in the middle of serious conversations. " Where's the kid now?"_

" _He died."_

_A flashing red light highlighted a section of the boy's file. The writing read: ToD: 17:56 September 14__th__, 2019._

_Adrian gulped._

" _Oh, that's bad."_

" _Yeah it is. That's when he drops off the map and there's nothing about him until 2022."_

" _Nothing? You couldn't find__** anything**__?" Echo sighed again. At least she seemed to be over her depression about the fate of Viper's team. Maybe she'd had a similar experience before becoming his body guard._

" _Adrian, the man was military, and more than that, he was __**good**__. He'd know how to cover his tracks. It's basics. No paper trail with your money, have false names and accounts set up that you've been putting things into for years, how to avoid giving out personal information to people...it's all taught practically the first day of class."_

" _Could __**you**__ do it?" Adrian asked before he could stop himself. Echo gave him that dead look again, the one he hated, and he shivered. " Nevermind, I –"_

" _Adrian, if I so choose, I can drop off the face of the planet in a matter of hours."_

_Adrian felt his heart stop. _

" _B-But you wouldn't, right? Because my family would hunt you down and make you-"_

" _They'd never find me."_

_Cold, calculated, and without a hint of doubt. Dread clawed at his chest._

" _Echo..."_

" _Your family has a great deal of money and influence, but if I don't want to be found, I won't be. I was trained at the Facility, Adrian, and I was taught how to vanish without ever leaving a trace I was there. If I wanted to disappear, I wouldn't leave so much as a crumb for someone to follow."_

" _Even me?" He sounded desperate, and he hated it, but he couldn't help it. The thought of waking up one morning and finding Echo gone without a trace made him sweat. _

_She gave him a levelled look._

" _Even you."_

_The world went cold._

_No more Echo; what an awful prospect. No more sparring matches, no more trying to wheedle out of her what she wanted for Christmas, no more awkwardly given birthday cards..._

_A world without Echo, without even one trace of her presence in his life, suddenly opened up before him and he scrambled to shut the door. He didn't want to contemplate it. He didn't want to think about there being no Echo. He didn't ever want to have to face that kind of a situation._

" _Hey, calm down." She said, trying to laugh off the seriousness of her statement. " My orders are to stay with you, so don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."_

" _You'd better not." He said weakly. " Who'll keep me in line if you do?"_

_She scoffed._

" _I would think that years under my instruction would have conditioned you by now."_

" _I just do that stuff to keep you happy." Oh, she was blushing again. " It's really too much of a hassle."_

" _And you wonder why I'm your only friend."_

" _Other people are just too easy to work over. I need someone who sees through my schemes."_

" _Seeing that I was the one who taught you how to scheme like that, I should __**hope**__ I was immune."_

_They were back to bantering, thank god. Her business like tone was there, but underneath it was a playfulness that Adrian loved to try and bring out. His best friend was back and with her arrival, she'd banished the robotic puppet of the Facility._

" _So hey, did you figure out anything about this underground lair of Viper's?" He asked, quickly changing the subject because he had no come back. The tiny quirk of her lips told him she was aware of the fact._

" _As a matter of fact, I did._

_A new picture formed on his laptop. It was a map of Academy Island, with a flashing red circle indicating to a location that was, thankfully, __**behind**__ the volcano. The map zoomed in, showing a large, dark building covered in moss and starting to rust._

" _What the fuck is that?"_

" _Language." She chided. " This is the building that houses the animal research labs."_

" _What is Duel Academy doing with animal research labs?"_

_More paper. Echo was very organized, Adrian had noticed. That was why he usually left the preliminary information gathering to her. He was smart enough to connect the dots once he had them, but he just couldn't compete with Echo's almost obsessive-compulsive organization skills. He was willing to bet that, just under the screen, there were separate piles for every piece of information, divided by coloured tags to indicate importance, timeline, and relevance to the mission objectives._

_Echo emerged from her shuffling with a new paper. He smirked when he noticed the little red tag on the side._

" _Apparently, there was some animal testing that KaibaCorp was looking into. Dueling primates, I believe, but the plug was pulled once the cruelty of the researchers came to light, and the chimpanzee they were using was set free after losing to Jaden Yuki in a duel."_

_Adrian raised a brow._

" _Jaden dueled a chimp?"_

" _Jaden dueled a chimp." Echo nodded. Adrian face palmed._

" _Of course he did. This is Jaden Yuki we're talking about. He probably did it just to say that he did." He shook his head, trying to clear it. " So what does this have to do with Viper?"_

_The image of the building suddenly switched into a blueprint mode, and took up the entire screen._

" _Take a look."_

_Adrian leaned in, and adjusted his glasses._

" _The basement's twenty-times the size of the rest of the place."_

_He grinned._

" _Echo, do you know what this means?"_

" _Yes." She smirked, just the tiniest bit. He'd really have to try and get her to open up more once they got back to East. " It means that we've found h-"_

" _It means I was right! He __**is**__ using an underground lair!" Mentally, Adrian pumped his fist. It was rare when he was right and got to lord it over Echo. Who was giving him that look again. The one that said he was going to be one giant bruise after their next sparring match._

" _**Focus.**__" She growled. Forget a bruise, he was going to be in __**traction**__._

" _There was one other piece of information that I managed to find. A few months before he came to West, Viper turned up in one place."_

" _What was he doing?"_

" _He'd stumbled upon the remains of some space junk or something. He was admitted into the Hospital of New Mexico just a little outside of Roswell at 1:30 in the morning of April 6__th__, 2022."_

" _That's ironic."_

" _Irony aside, he went in under an alias, but it's definitely him. The descriptions were given by the hospital staff fit, and I was able to trace the use of one of his accounts to that area."_

" _What did he go in for?"_

" _He was found passed out by the side of the road. They ran some tests, but nothing was conclusive. When he woke up, he just said he'd been feeling tired lately, and left. Three days later, he was gone."_

" _And that fall he started working at West." Adrian paused. " Has he made any requests to come to Duel Academy before this year?"_

" _No." More paper. He would love to see what her desk looked like. " But this little get together didn't just happen. The amount of paper work he's had to do to make it happen is astounding. He's clearly been planning this for a while."_

" _But why this year?"_

" _My guess?" Echo frowned. " He needed something that he didn't have before this year. He needed the timing to be right."_

_Adrian nodded, carefully going over all the information in his head. The Bio Bands, the energy stealing, the way he's dropped off the map as soon as they'd all started suspecting him..._

_The former heir of the Gecko family looked at his oldest friend._

" _Something happened to him that night, Echo. Something that's driving what's going on now. He's got something down in that research lab and I want to know what it is."_

" _You can't just go barging in." Echo cautioned. " Even if you're careful, there's no telling what Viper's set up down there. You need a plan."_

" _What I __**need**__ is a distraction. Something that'll take the attention off of me while I'm doing my thing." A smirk lit up his face. Echo glared warningly. " And I know __**just**__ the goonies who will work."_

Echo, of course, hadn't approved of him using Jaden and his friends as a distraction, but Adrian had assured her that nothing would happen to them. And that was true. It wasn't like his plan banked on tossing Jaden and his group to the wolves. He just needed them to walk around and make a lot of noise like they usually did. He'd called them to his room, and told them about the Bio Bands and what he'd figured out. They'd lapped it up like cats with a saucer of cream, and with them stumbling around in the dark he'd created, Viper would be too busy following them to notice Adrian.

There something down there, something he _had_ to get his hands on, and if he needed to shove Jaden and his friends into some traps to get the attention off of him, then so be it. They were a resilient bunch. They'd be fine.

It was a good plan.

He frowned as his eye piece warned him of the invisible lasers up ahead.

" Please, Viper. Could you _be_ any more of a cliché?" He asked quietly, reaching out to place the specially designed cap on the source.

He studiously ignored the Echo voice in his head telling him that he had no right to be casting stones.

* * *

Despite the complexity of his plans and the assumptions others made about his nature due to those plans, Thelonius Viper was actually a very simple man.

He had things he liked, and things he disliked.

He had a favourite food (filet mignon wrapped in bacon, well done), a favourite colour (forest green, the exact opposite of the dry, dusty tones of those broken buildings the day he'd lost his team), and a favourite song (Lady GaGa's _Born This Way_, but _God forbid_ anyone ever find out).

He was, for all intents and purposes, just a man.

And that meant he was fallible.

" Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they came investigating." He said, looking at the different monitors that displayed the two groups slowly making their ways towards his hideout. Behind him, glowing a yellow-orange and filling the room with a bright, eerie light, the substance bubbled.

" They are tenacious, I must give them that. And Jaden Yuki is a natural leader." He stared directly at the screen that showed him the boy, looking more haggard then he had when they'd first arrived, trudging forward. He turned and said something to Syrus Trusedale, who laughed. Jesse Anderson was calmly guiding Lia Shanner, who was looking around with a frown on her face. Of the four of them, only she and Jaden seemed as unnerved as they should be.

They had good instincts.

" His mother must be very proud." He continued talking to the air. The substance bubbled again, floating up in its container like the bits found in a lava lamp. Unseen to it, but felt, Viper's eyes narrowed.

" Not that she ever pays any particular attention to him. She's always off gallivanting around with Sorimaru, trying to save the world."

He turned around, crossing his arms behind his back as he began to pace.

" _She_ barely notices that she has a son. She's never at home, did you know that? I've kept my eye on that family. After all, Sachiko was a good friend, once upon a time. She saved my life during Initial Phase. So I decided to keep an eye on her."

He stopped, having reached the other side of the room.

" And do you know what I found out?"

The substance didn't say anything, but the bubbles rolled around faster as the screen focused on Jaden.

Viper punched the wall so hard that the stone cracked, the pain in his fist lost under the swell of his rage.

" _She abandoned her own son!_"

The substance began to glow red in reaction to the anger.

" She left him to rot! Her son! Her _only _child!"

He punched the wall again.

" It's not _fair!_"

The red glow was encompassing the room, burning brighter. On the glass of the container, a sickly, red eye took shape as the substance pressed harder against the glass, trying to reach for the image of Jaden.

" Why does someone like that get to keep her son?! _Why is her son still alive while Pierce is dead?!_"

Veins bulged around the side of the eye, swelling with blood. Down the middle of them, they began to glow faintly white.

Viper leaned both hands against the wall.

" Why is my son dead when I loved him so much, and Sachiko's son still alive when she barely looks at him?"

The red light receded. The eye closed. The veins vanished. By the time Viper turned around , it was simply glass again, with yellow-orange bubbles floating lazily in it.

" But that doesn't matter." He walked over, putting a rough hand on the glass. It warmed under his touch, and the substance floated over, forming an imitation of a human hand to pressed to the glass on its side. Viper let a tender smile come on to his face.

" None of that matter, because soon, I'll have you back, Pierce. Soon, I'll have enough energy, and you and I can be together again. It will be just like it used to."

The substance twisted over itself in a motion that Viper interpreted as joy. He nodded, his eyes feverish alight.

" That's right, Pierce. Everything will go back to the way it was. We'll be happy again."

The substance glowed brighter. Viper put another hand on the glass.

" Soon now, very soon. Just be patient for a little longer, Pierce. Your father's just got to get a little more energy."

The substance shifted, swirling around to form a circle. Viper smiled.

" That's right. The Rune of Collection that you showed me. Just a little longer, and those Bio Bands will get me enough energy to bring you back. Just a little longer, son."

Viper turned away from the substance and went back to monitoring the progress of the two groups, who were mere meters away from meeting up again. Alexis Rhodes was clutching her eyes as she walked, rubbing them frantically. At her side, Chazz Princeton seemed tenser than usual. Jim Cook was soothing his pet crocodile while Tyranno Hassleberry was clearly fighting to keep a lid on his baser instincts, which were telling him to attack. Over with the other group, Syrus Trusedale and Jesse Anderson had started talking amiably, pointing to their decks at random intervals. Jaden Yuki had fallen silent. There was a pinched, painful look on his face as he stared at the building in front of him. Lia Shanner was much the same, only her gaze was fixed on the Slifer beside her.

Viper smirked.

" That's right, all of you come. I'll need a grand finale for my son's revival."

Thelonius Viper was a simple man, at heart. Unfortunately, that heart had been broken long ago by the death of his son, and he'd never truly recovered. It had destroyed him to watch Pierce go, and so, instead of simply being a fallible man, he had become a _broken_, fallible man. Had he tried to heal, or at least stopped to think about what was happening, he might have stopped before it had gotten too far. But Viper was a broken, fallible man, and he'd been offered paradise.

Unheard by the plotting man in front of the screen, Yubel giggled and turned her adoring, deranged gaze on the image of Jaden again.

' _Soon.' _She agreed.

* * *

Because Adrian is a douche, Viper needed to be fleshed out, and I will never understand the name change from Rick to Pierce. The flipping fuck, 4kids? What's wrong with Rick? I happen to think it's a nice name! What did a guy named Rick beat up one of the creative members when they were a kid? Seriously, what is wrong with Rick?

And Viper. Because 4kids makes him into just the bad guy when he's so much more. There are some cases where I can see where 4kids is coming from, kinda. Editing out Chumley's dad's drinking problem, okay, yeah, I can see why they'd do that, especially since it didn't seem to get resolved in the show. Yubel's sadomasochistic view of love is pretty much what catapulted GX from a kiddy show into more adult territory, so they down played it. Okay. Not the best choice - because that was a major chunk, if not the cornerstone, of Yubel's character- but they managed to make it work within t the context of what they's made GX into.

But I am really mad about how they portrayed Viper. The thing is, I feel that 4kids didn't trust its audience enough. I've had this conversation with FirePrincess251, but I can't get over the fact that 4kids had a chance to really DO something with this character! They could have introduced the people watching to a morally ambiguous character! Viper was in the wrong, we all know it, but his reasons made him sympathetic! His reasons were downplayed in the dub, and thrown in at the last second, and Viper's voice actor never changed his monotone when talking about his SON DYING! C'mon, 4kids! Give your audience a little credit! Make it obvious that what Viper was doing was wrong, but let him be the sympathetic villain he was meant to be. Don't assume that your audience won't get it. It's insulting. You seem to believe that North American kids are stupid, and can't handle anything that isn't black and white. You've completely cut out one of the great gray areas of storytelling! And you had the chance to be the ones to introduce this to kids! Why is making your audience think a bad thing? It just frustrates me, because well...I don't like it when companies like 4kids underestimate their audience, or are too afraid of confusing them to even try and make them think.

Sorry, rant over. I just wanted to try and put a little flesh on the bones of Viper's character while he's still around to do that.

And Yubel being creepy. Because she can be. And boy, is she tough to write when I finally get around to it. I haven't really been able to find a way to do things from her point of view, not even in the 68 chapters I have written, because she is a terrifyingly complex character, with layers under layers under layers. Plus, with the way Yearverse actually goes, and how that all plays out...Yeah, Yubel is hard. I hope she'll be easier post Jaden-merging, when she's significantly less fucked up in the head. Heart...soul? ..._Thing_.

Anywho, enjoy this update (as much as you can with Adrian running around), and I'll see you tomorrow for the triumphant return of Axel!

MoS


	18. Pauses

Warnings: Welcome back, Axel!

Axel: Tha...nk...you?

You're scared of me, aren't you?

Axel: I seem to recall you dumping that Anderson kid against some weird looking dragon-lady in Year One.

Well, yeah, but-Holy shit! Have you been stalking me since THEN?!

Axel: It pays to know what you're up against.

...You're creepy.

Axel: And you're psychotic. I guess we're even.

...You have voices in your head. Jerk.

Axel: So do you. The only difference is that my voices help me out of tough situations, and yours force you to mentally write out Fairy Tail fanfiction.

OMIGOD, you're reading my PM'S?!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Axel smirked.

" Well, what do we have here?"

He brushed more of the dirt aside. Underneath, a dark red corner of a brick began to show itself.

He pressed the sharp tip of his grappling device in between two of the bricks, and wiggled it. There was a moment of silence, in which he feared that he was going to have to chip his way _through_ the bricks (and Lord only knew how long that would take. Axel didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about how much time had passed since he'd fallen into the trap. He's eaten the energy bars he'd snuck into his vest pockets, but, of course, like an idiot, he'd forgotten a watch. He hadn't expected to be trapped. He hadn't expected to be gone for so long, either. He'd expected to go on, snoop around a little, and report back to Duel Academy. He'd expected to burst into the Chancellor's office, with information about Viper's operation that would help take him down. Now, he was trapped in a meter by two meter sized box, and he had no idea of how much time had passed. He had no idea of how many other students Viper was putting in danger), but then the brick wiggled with him, and Axel breathed a sigh of relief.

" Okay." He muttered. " Got a plan now." He started hacking away at the bricks, trying to loosen them. As he worked, sweat starting to form on his brow, a thought occurred to him. He snorted.

" After all this, I still don't know what Viper's planning."

' So look at the facts.' Said his father's voice in his head. ' Look at what you know, and analyze, son.'

" But where I start?"

He pulled out another brick.

' Where you always start. At level one.'

" Level one. Okay."

There was a small pile of bricks, maybe only three or four, but it was progress, and that was more than he'd had in a while.

" Level one. Level one is Professor Thelonius Viper. He showed up at West in September two years ago."

' Don't forget, son, you've got to keep these things in order. What was the year?'

" 2022. It was September 2022." Another brick. " We got called into the auditorium, and Chancellor Ada was real excited. She introduced us to the new teacher, Viper."

' And what did you think of him?'

Another brick.

" He looked tough. He looked like he knew how to survive."

' So you thought he might be good for West?'

" I thought he might make things a little more interesting. And I was right."

' What did he do, son?'

Another brick, and then two more came out.

" The survival duels. He made us go to our limits and beyond."

' Sounds like my kind of guy.'

" You woulda approved, Dad. He made us work for our grades. There were times when I thought I'd collapse, but he made me get back up, and I got stronger because of it."

' So he made you survive.'

" I thought he was amazing." Clink, clink went the point against the spikes. Shame welled up in Axel. " I was ready t follow his orders. I was ready for him to be my superior."

' But?'

Axel squeezed his eyes shut. He stopped hacking away at the bricks.

" I let him change me, Dad."

In his mind, there was silence, but Axel could just imagine his father's disapproving glare.

" I followed the orders, just like you and Mom taught but...somewhere along the way...the person I was..."

More silence. It prodded at him, made him keep going, even though his throat threatened to close up with the lump that had formed in it.

" ...Somewhere along the way, what I thought and what I knew about right and wrong changed."

His grip on the grappling device was so tight that it hurt.

" I let him change me, Dad."

Silence.

" I let him change what I thought about people."

The air was heavy with the presence of a man who wasn't really there. But it was Axel's coping mechanism, so it was real enough to him.

" I...I always made sure to do what Mom told me. I empathized. I understood people. But Viper...the way he put it, that was a weakness. You shouldn't care about other people."

He didn't dare open his eyes. He didn't want to risk looking away from the look on his father's face that his mind had managed to conjure. That was his punishment.

" So, I stopped. I stopped caring about the people who got in the way on my missions. I stop empathizing. I tried to get in their heads, but it got so much harder and..."

He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

' That's because you stopped thinking about them, son.'

" ...Dad?"

' You stopped being able to understand people because you stopped thinkin' about 'em. And son, that' who you are."

" Who...I am?"

' Axel, you think about people. You _care_ about 'em. It's not how me or your mother would do the job, but that's us and you're you. The reason you lost that skill was because you stopped caring about those people, and when you did that, you stopped being you.'

" I let the order change me." Axel said softly.

' Yes you did. But Axel, it coulda been much worse."

" How?" He blinked. His grip loosened a little.

' You coulda been so far gone that you didn't even realized you'd changed. You coulda gone the rest of your life without ever realizing you'd become someone else.'

Axel swallowed the lump as his mind changed his father's expression from condemning to welcoming.

' But you didn't. You pulled back, and you realized what was going on.'

" I hurt somebody, Dad." To distract himself, Axel began to chip away at that bricks again. " Little guy named Syrus. I wanted to use him as bait to get to Jaden, and it got outta hand. He...I...I messed him up bad. I triggered a memory and he was nearly catatonic by the time we got to the nurse. I shouldn't have...I never meant to..."

He slammed the point into the brick he was working on.

" I treated him like a statistic, not a person! He was a means to an end, and I only saw him as that. I coulda tried to calm him down, to talk to him, but all I saw was someone eating up the time I needed to duel Jaden and..."

Axel's shoulders sagged. He started chipping again.

" ...This guy got taken by the Sacred Beasts two years ago. It's amazing that he's even alive, let alone got that kinda kick in him."

' He sounds like survivor.'

" He is." Another brick. " A lotta students here are. Not...I mean, it's not like they've got my training but..."

' Everyone's strong in their own way, son. Not everyone's senses are as honed as yours are. Those people need guys like you around to keep 'em alive, and then, when you hit a wall you can't get over, they help you out.'

" Is that why you married Mom?"

' I married your mother because she round-house kicked me in the face when I tried to kill the man she was security detail for.'

Axel snorted. He'd heard that story a million times since he'd been old enough to understand it.

' Your mother is strong in the same way I am, but in different ways too. I didn't understand the value of life before I met her. She made me understand the rush of walking the knife's edge. I made her understand how to control that rush.'

" Syrus is strong because he doesn't give up." Axel acknowledged. " He's a survivor; he's stronger than me. I'm strong because you taught me to see life as a battle. He's strong because he doesn't, but when he gets into a fight, he doesn't give up. Not for anything."

' Don't sell yourself short, son. You don't give up in a fight either.'

Another brick. He had a sizable pile going on behind him.

" I don't have to because you taught me enough to make it so I've got the advantage. Syrus is the kind of guy who'll be at a disadvantage, but will keep coming until he drops. A lotta people are like that here."

' Oh yeah?'

" Yeah." He nodded. " Jaden's the kind of guy who'll run into the wall until it either falls apart or agrees to duel him. Alexis Rhodes wouldn't even wait that long. She'd tear down the wall with her bare hands. Chazz Princeton would find a way around it so fast the wall'd get whiplash. No one at this school seems to understand the concept of giving up."

' Sounds like a buncha good people.'

" Yeah." The last brick came out. A slab of metal showed itself underneath all the stone, and Axel smirked. " Thanks for the pep talk, Dad."

He reached down and to kick at the metal slab, hoping to force it open. Several kicks later, and the thing yielded to his boot, falling away. Blinking, he looked down into the darkened, leafy tops of trees. The bricks still intact began to shake under his weight, and he leapt back. The floor started falling away, revealing the long drop down into the canopy. Axel reached into his pocket to pull out his second grappling device. Swiftly, as the hole grew wider, he tied the frayed ends of the ropes of each device together, and then slammed one of the points into the stone wall behind him as deep as it would go. There was barely any floor left.

" This just is _not_ my day." He muttered to himself as he leapt into the darkness below.

* * *

" Cheery lookin' place, innit?" Jim said, tilting the hat out of his good eye to get a better look. Beside him, Chazz struggled to keep himself from face palming. And failed.

" Dozens of places for this freak to hide, and he chooses a scary underground lair." The black Slifer pinched the bridge of his nose. " For once, can we fight someone who has a little style?"

" Y'all are rather...blasé 'bout this." Jesse observed.

" I've lost track by this point. How many things are in our basement again?" Lia muttered, standing next to Alexis. The older girl sighed.

" Well, let's see." She starting ticking off finger. " The Sacred Beasts, that creepy crypt thing, this monstrousity..."

" I'm transferring the second we get out of here."

" Oh no, whatever will we do without you?" Chazz snarked. A book smashed into his face. He fell over, arms flailing.

" Eight point five." Alexis, Jaden and Syrus said in unison. Lia looked pleased.

" What the hell?!" Chazz snarled as he righted himself. He was holding the book in one hand and waving it around.

" Why the hell did you bring a book with you?!"

" Well, I need _something_ to do while Jaden duels!"

" So you brought _Les Mis_?"

" Have you _been_ to one of Jaden's duels? They take _forever_!"

" Should I be insulted?" Jaden asked casually as the two got into it again. Syrus shrugged and Alexis sighed, while Jim stood alone as the only person mildly perturbed by Chazz and Lia's bickering.

" Is this...normal?" He watched as Lia gave Chazz to the surprisingly agile Chazz, who was dodging her increasingly wild grabs. She only got angrier as she kept latching onto air. At his sigh, Jesse nodded.

"Honestleh, Ah'd be mo' worried if they _weren't _trahin' ta kill each other."

There was a short scream, and Jim looked over to see his crocodile latched into to the cuff of the sleeve of Lia's long-sleeved green top. The girl in question was petrified, held frozen in terror. Shirley wasn't growling, but it was clear that she'd had enough of Chazz and Lia's fight. Seeing as how they weren't going to stop on their own, she'd taken the initiative and put an end to it.

The only problem was that Lia looked ready to faint, throw up, or throw up and then faint. She let out a whimper.

" Alroight, girl, that's enough. You're scarin' th' Sheila." Jim tapped Shirley lightly on the head, and she reluctantly let go. Jim supposed that she found Lia's reactions amusing. He did too, a little. He turned to apologize to the girl, but was met with a blur of green and a cloud of dust. By the entranceway, something slammed into Jesse, who suddenly found himself acting as the meat shield to a panicking Lia Shanner.

" Mangez-le! Pas moi!" She shrieked, shoving Jesse forward.

" Whah do Ah get th' distinct feelin' tha' ya're offerin' me up lahke a sacrificial lamb?"

" Because I am!" She shoved him.

" Love ya too, darlin'."

" If you loved me, you would _get that beast away from me!_"

" Shirley ain't a beast." Jim said, a trifle indignant. " She was just 'avin' a bitta fun wi'cha."

" It's all fun and games until she _snaps my leg off!_" Lia shrieked hysterically. Jim sighed, and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

" Alroight, that's it." He marched over. Lia backed away.

" W-What are you doing?"

" Uh, Jim?" Alexis asked, taking a step forward. Lia shot her a helpless look, but Chazz put a hand on the blonde's arm, stopping her from coming any closer. When Alexis shot him a hard look, he shook his head.

" We're settlin' this." Without preamble, Jim hoisted Lia up into his arms, ignoring her kicking and screaming. He turned to look at the stunned group. " You lot go ahead. Oi'm just gonna try an' 'elp Kitty-Cat here with 'er phobias."

" Put her down! I'm not leaving her here with you!" Alexis snapped. Lia started punching Jim on the chest, shrieking to high heaven in French.

" Jim..." Jaden said, taking a step forward. The older man gave him a look.

" She needs this, Jay. She can't go through loife terrified."

" She's not likely to meet that many _crocodiles!_" Alexis snarled, starting forward. She was hauled back. " Chazz!"

" She needs to do this!" The other boy snapped. " It was funny at first, but she's getting worse. If she doesn't face it soon, it'll only get worse."

" But why does she have to face it right _now_?"

" Because-"

But whatever Chazz was going to say was cut off by a dark voice suddenly falling over them.

" Now isn't the moment, Jim." Jaden said softly. But his voice was that terrible, commanding thing again. Hassleberry, who'd fallen silent in an attempted to block out the strange vibes that threatened to overwhelm him, was instantly soothed. The alpha was back.

Jim, for his part, stood his ground for longer than anyone thought he would. He held Jaden's gaze, his own green eye narrowed. He looked ready to fight that it _was_ the moment, that he couldn't take any other outburst of hysteria every time Shirley came within touching distance of Lia. Shirley was his family. She meant a great deal to him, and even she found Lia's fear a little amusing, there was a part of Jim that ached for her. Poor Shirley hadn't done anything to warrant Lia's intense fear of her. Jim could understand where Lia was coming from, of course. That kind of memory would scare anyone, let alone a six-year-old. But it was Lia's blatant refusal to try and overcome her fear that annoyed Jim. It made him more sure of his initial feeling that Lia Shanner wasn't the heroic type, and that she was a bad fit with the group. She shouldn't be on the expedition with them, but she was, and Jim had had enough of her having a panic attack every time Shirley so much as looked in her direction.

The weight of Jaden's voice threatened to make his knees buckle, and it was hard to think of anything but obeying him, but it was the soft whimper from Lia that got him to break eyes contact.

She was huddled against his chest, like a little girl who'd lost her parents and had stumbled upon a helpful stranger. She leaned against him, crying softly. One of her hands was bunched in her chest, and she was starting at Jaden with a mixture of awe and fear in those hazel eyes of hers. Only they didn't look too hazel right then. They'd gotten darker, a deeper colour shifting around in her irises. She looked very pretty, despite the distress on her face. She was prettier than she'd ever been, in fact, and if he'd bothered to look up then he would've have seen the frown on Syrus' face and the blankness on Jaden's.

After another moment of choking silence, Lia buried her head in Jim's shoulder with a shuddering breath, and Jaden turned. He strode gracefully through the open door of the building, pausing only to call back to them, without turning his head.

" Well, are you coming?"

Hassleberry immediately darted after him, sparing only a glance backwards at Lia. Jesse followed soon after, a scowl on his face. Syrus was at his heels, muttering under his breath darkly. Chazz stared at Lia for one long moment, nodded to Jim, and then took off running. Jim was left holding the shaking girl with only Alexis for company. Shirley had settled herself by the door.

" Put her down." Alexis glared at him with he didn't jump to comply. " Now!"

Jim set her down.

Lia wobbled for a moment, then righted herself, her hand still clutched in her shirt. Alexis gently touched her shoulder.

" Sweetie?"

" I'm fine." She said. Alexis looked down at her hand.

" Is it...?" Lia nodded.

" I brought extra clothes."

" Good girl." She patted Lia's arm once, then rounded on Jim. " And _you-_"

" He's right, Lexi." Lia said softly. Alexis deflated instantly. " I just...It's getting worse. The closer we get, the more extreme my reactions are. You and Chazz have a lid on it, and Hassleberry deals with in his own way, but..."

" And It can't touch Jaden. I know." Alexis put and arm around the younger girl. " This will all be over soon."

" Oi 'ate ta interrupt, but wha' are you sheilas goin' on about?"

Alexis looked at him with an unfriendly light in her eyes, but she answered his question.

" Something in this place is emitting a modified version of the Light of Destruction. It's messing with our heads and making our emotions volatile. You've noticed how tense Syrus is, and how Hassleberry and Shirley keep acting?" Jim nodded. " I think it's the Light. It's not the same as it was last year but..." She shuddered. " It's definitely here. Why do you think Lia's fear of Shirley suddenly got worse? Why do you think your problem with it became so overpowering? Whatever's going on here, it's taking out emotions and playing kickball with them."

" So why aren't you effected?"

Alexis smirked.

" I'm not usually this irritable. But for the most part, I think it's because most of us have some experience. I mean, yeah, Syrus never got targeted, and Hassleberry was immune, but like I said, it's different this time. I think that's why it's affecting him more than us. Still Chazz and I...well, last year..." She trailed off for a second time, searching for the right phrase. " ...Let's just say that we've earned out stripes, and leave it at that, okay?"

Jim nodded, and then turned to Lia, who was standing, half hidden, behind Alexis.

" Sorry if Oi scared ya."

Lia just nodded, without raising her head. She did, however, squeak when Jim started ruffling her hair.

" Tell ya what. When this is all over, you come an' foind me. We'll figure out this croc fear o' yours in a jiff."

Lia still said nothing, but she did smile a little. It was enough for Jim.

* * *

As the group made its way down, somewhere, far below them, Adrian Gecko was slammed against the wall by a force he couldn't understand. In front of him, Viper laughed.

" You'll find my son is rather eager for me to duel Jaden Yuki, and he won't stand for interruptions."

" Y-Your son?" Adrian gasped as the weight settled onto his chest. His throat was squeezed by an invisible hand. " Your son...isn't he...d-dead?"

" He's coming back!" Viper shouted, infuriated by the words. The pressure got worse. Adrian choked on his own spit as Viper turned to leave. " I can't expect you to understand. _Your_ family didn't even want you."

In another time and place, Adrian would've snarled in rage and leapt to attack Viper. But he was pinned to the wall by something unseen. He'd gotten sloppy in the last few yards of the infiltration, his desire to see what Viper was hiding overriding his common sense. He'd stepped on a fake board, and fallen through to the room where Viper was.

So instead of attacking, Adrian was pushed deeper into the wall, the crater at his back widening. He was helpless to do anything but watch as his quarry got away.

* * *

For everyone who hates Adrian, just you wait. I think you'll enjoy the direction I'm taking his storyline in. Heh heh.

Axel: Psychotic.

Shut it you! Anywho, here's chapter 18! I hope you liked it. I'm glad people are finding Viper to be a little more sympathetic here than he was portrayed as in the 4kids version. But then, I like to fuck around with the dub, now don't I? Sorry for being late. Storms keep blowing through my area and I keep having to get off the computer and then get back on and it's hella annoying.

Well, I don't really have all that much to say about this chapter other than yes, Lia is totally offering Jesse up as an altar sacrifice: Eat him, not me!

I think the only reason Jesse puts up with her is because he finds her amusing in most cases. And he fears her throwing arm. Then again, most people fear her throwing arm. I've begun to notice that Lia really only brains boys with her stuff, but that's mostly because the girls don't rile her up. And then I realized that it's usually only Chazz. Because he's Chazz. And why do I feel like that should be a meme or something? Huh.

Axel: You gonna ramble on pointlessly for the next few minutes or...?

Didn't I tell you to be quie-IS THAT MY DOCUMENT FOLDER?!

Axel: Huh? Oh yeah. Your PC is ridiculously easy to hack into, you know that? Just a click here and there and I was in. You've got some interesting stuff in here.

GET AWAY FROM THAT!

Lia: As the bitch is unable to finish her author's note due to the fact that she is currently chasing the adrenaline-junkie down with the intent of eviserating him...Go away, it's over, nothing left to see here people. Come back tomorrow. If you're lucky, we'll have something new for you.

Aster: That last part is a gurantee, did you forget?

Lia: Was I talking to you?

Aster: No, but I decided to be nice and include myself in the conversation.

Lia: How is THAT being nice?

Aster: You wanna tick off all of MoS' reviewers?

Lia: I don't care.

Aster: Yeeeees you do.

Lia: Do not.

Aster: Do too.

Lia: Do not!

Aster: Do too.

Lia: DO NOT!

Aster: Do too.

Lia: Do not times infinity! Ha! I win! ...Oh god, I really just did that. Did I just do that?

Aster: Yes you did, you first-grader you.

Lia: Cram it, Flower Boy.

Aster: And you wore it _all_ day, huh?

Lia: *blushes* I-That's-You-_Shut up!_

Aster: You're adorable when you're like this.

Lia: I said shut up! *looks at audience* The fuck are you looking at?! Scram! There's nothing here to see!

Aster: I wouldn't say that...

Lia: _Nothing. Here. To. See_.

Aster: *sighes* Of course not, babe.

Lia: Don't call me that. *starts to walk off* Well, are you coming?

Aster: Hmmm?

Lia: It's dinner time and raining out, dumbass. So come on, let's go get something to eat and watch a movie or something.

Aster: Huh?

Lia: Didn't you hear me? It's raining and you're useless on your own when it does that! So hurry up and let's go eat! *stomps off*

Aster: *mystified* ...I'm wearing her down.

MoS

Don't download my documents you thrill-issued bastard!


	19. Games

'Warnings: Eheheheheheh...I'm sorry about Yubel. Oh boy, am I sorry about Yubel.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

_Adrian.'_

Adrian twitched, trying to pull away. The weight was choking him, making his vision swim to black for a moment. His lungs were starting to burn.

' _Adrian.'_

There was a voice, echoing from somewhere. Was there someone else in the room? He couldn't tell.

' _Why won't you answer me, Adrian?'_

It sounded a little like a small child, but there was something off about it. If he could think clearly, Adrian was sure he'd be able to tell what, but his thoughts were coming sluggishly to him, sliding away again before he could fully grasp them. He gasped for air.

' _You need to relax, Adrian, or else you'll pass out. And then who will play with me?'_

The voice was starting to get annoying. It was whiny and petulant, truly like a five-year-old who wanted ice cream and knew it could irritate someone until they gave into the demand. Adrian gritted his teeth, and fought to get his thoughts in order. Spots danced in front of his eyes.

' _That's not a nice thing to say. All I want to do is play with you. Don't you like me?'_

Oh god, the pressure had gotten worse. He couldn't breathe at all. And his limbs were held fast at his sides. He couldn't even move his head, _oh god-_

' _I'll let you go if you say sorry.'_

He couldn't see, he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, oh _god what was this-_

' _Just say sorry, Adrian. Just say you're sorry.'_

It was giggling. The voice was giggling. It sounded like it was right in his ears, whispering. It was the only thing he could make out over the dull roar in his ears, over the pounding of his heart. The spots were brighter now, and the black around the edge of his vision was even darker. He felt lightheaded.

'_Hey, stay awake._' The voice said cheerfully.

His head snapped to the side, his cheek stinging. He'd been slapped.

' _Don't pass out yet, we haven't played at all!'_

Where was the person? Where were they standing? He'd been so disoriented when he'd dropped down into the room without meaning to that he hadn't been able to see anything. One second he'd been in the ventilation shafts and the next, he'd been in the room, a startled Viper staring at him.

And then...

' _Don't you __**want **__to play with me, Adrian?'_

Then he'd been pinned to the wall, and Viper had been gloating. Adrian had wanted to spit in his face, but he couldn't even move enough to do that.

And now...

The pressure on his throat tightened. Everything went dark for a second.

' _Just say sorry, Adrian!' _There was an edge in the voice, a dangerous, sharp edge. Stupefied as he was, he could tell that much.

' Echo's going to kill me.' He thought as his vision faded to black.

And then he was slammed against the wall again. His back screamed in protest as it was abused further. His lungs tried to cooperate with his brain and shout in pain, but he still couldn't get any air. He was thrown back again.

And again.

And _again._

' _Say you're sorry! Say you're sorry or I won't forgive you! I won't, I won't, I __**won't!**__'_

' I'm sorry!' He thought desperately, unable to voice the words. He didn't even know what he was apologizing for, but if it got him out of the mess he'd managed to make of his mission, he was willing to do just about anything.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry just please let me _go!_'

The pressure lifted. Adrian gasped in great gulps of air, his chest heaving. Somewhere in the room, something gave a happy little giggle.

' _See, that wasn't hard. All I wanted was a little apology. Now we can be friends.'_

Adrian coughed, trying to free his throat of obstruction. He couldn't move his arms or legs, but at least he could breathe again.

" Wh-Who...are you...?" He managed, though his voice was rough.

' _I've had a lot of names.'_ The voice said, not sounding quite so young anymore. Adrian could almost hear the shrug.

" W-Well, which one do...do you like?" Good God, he was making conversation with a disembodied voice in a dark room. And he was pinned to a wall by an invisible, unmovable force, so he didn't have much choice.

' If I ever get out of here, this is going straight on to FML.' He decided.

' _We should keep this a secret. No telling!'_ The voice laughed. Adrian started.

" H-How…?" He trailed off, unsure of what he was asking. A giggle sounded again, grating on his nerves, but he quickly capped those sorts of thoughts. He didn't want to be strangled again.

' _I'll tell you if you tell me something. Something good!'_

" Like what?" He asked cautiously.

' _Something __**good!**__'_ The voice reiterated.

" Define 'good'." And now he was bargaining with the voice. Wonderful.

' _Something special. Something no one else knows. Not even Echo.'_

" How do you know about Echo?!" He tried to move forward, but was held down.

' _Uh-uh._' The voice chided. _' We have a deal, Adrian. Tell me something and I'll tell you something. That's the game we're playing.'_

" We're not playing any kind of game!" Immediately after the words left his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. The air in the room got cold, and the pressure pushed back, just a little, on his chest.

' _Are you saying you don't want to be my friend?'_ The edge was back in the voice.

Adrian hastened to try and salvage the situation.

"No, no, that's not it at all. I just...I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. You caught me at a bad time. I really can't...um, _play_ with you right now."

' _You're busy?_'

He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it could be reasoned with.

" Yeah. I came down here looking for something. I wanted to know what Viper was doing, but he got away. I need to find him." He tried to smile winningly, although he'd be damned if he knew whether or not the voice was attached to a face that had eyes. " So if you could just let me down..."

' _But if I do that, then you'll go away. And who will play with me?'_

" I'll come back and play with you." He was lying to his teeth. " If you just let me go do what I gotta do, then I'll have _plenty_ of time to play with you, I promise."

There was a silence, in which Adrian thought for a moment that his bluff might've worked. He'd kept his mind blank, and he was an accomplished liar (yet another thing Echo had drilled into him). He took a deep breath, preparing his body to start running the second he hit the ground.

' _You're lying._'

He was slammed back against the wall so hard he swore he heard a crack. He mouth opened to shout in pain, but a wham to the gut knocked the air out of him. Something clamped around his throat again, and then, to his horror, something else grabbed his arm.

' _You're lying to me, Adrian.'_

" No, I'm not! I swear I'm not!" His arm was yanked out in front of him.

' _I hate liars, Adrian. I hate them more than anything in the world.'_

His arm slowly started to twist under his horrified eyes.

" I'm not lying!" He shouted, all sense of dignity gone. His arm began to hurt.

' _Yes you are.'_ The voice said in a sing-song tone. '_ You're a dirty little liar just like __**him.**__'_

It was bending a way it was never meant to bend. Adrian struggled against the bonds that held him, powerless, unable to do anything but watch as his arm neared the breaking point.

" Don't do this!" He begged, forgetting about telling the truth, forgetting about his mission, forgetting about everything except the invisible force that was pulling and turning his arm towards the point where it would have to give. " Please don't!"

' _You lied to me, Adrian. You said you'd come back and play with me, but you won't. People who lie need to be punished, don'cha think?'_

" I'm sorry!" He exploded, tears running down his face. His arm was screaming in protest, nearly pulled out of its socket. " I won't do it again, I'll never do it again, just please, _don't!_"

' _Are you __**really **__sorry, Adrian? Are you sorry you lied to me, just like __**him**__? Are you sorry you were going to run out on me, just like __**him**__?_'

Adrian had no idea who 'him' was, and he couldn't care less.

" Yes, yes, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Just stop! _Please stop!_"

' _I dunno...'_

" _Please, I'll do __**anything!**_" His arm was twisted a little more. He could hear the bones start to creak.

And then the pain was gone, and he was dropped onto the floor. He fell in a boneless heap, panting and coughing, his entire world spinning. Somewhere up above him, an invisible hand patted him lightly on the top of the head, as though he were a dog in need of comfort.

' _Well, okay, since you're sorry.'_ The voice was by his ear again. ' _Do you wanna play a game with me?'_

He was too weak to answer, but the voice evidently took his silence as a 'yes'

' _Okay then! I'm so happy you showed up Adrian! It was getting really boring around here! That Viper isn't much fun. All he does is talk about his dead son. Pierce this, Pierce that. He's like a broken record!'_

Adrian wheezed, unable to do much else. The hand patted him again.

' _I know, I know. Just how many times does he expect me to listen to that? It got really old after the first dozen times. It like he doesn't know __**how **__to talk about anything else. Not like __**you**__, right Adrian? You won't be boring, will you?'_

The hand's grip tightened on his head.

' _I hate people who bore me almost as much as I hate liars. You won't bore me, right Adrian?'_

It took colossal effort, but he managed to shake his head. His arm was still aching, and his back was probably a mess of bruises.

' _I __**knew **__you wouldn't let me down!' _The voice cooed. ' _We're going to be best friends, right Adrian?'_

Something triggered at the phrase. In his mind's eye, he could see a figure with short dark hair in a green, military-esque uniform, smiling slightly at him as she ducked her head to hide it.

' Echo...' His mind whispered.

' _Oh, __**that's**__ Echo.'_ The voice hummed. ' _She's really pretty.'_

' No.' Adrian's mind stuttered. ' No, leave her alone. Don't hurt Echo!'

' _Silly! She's not my new friend, __**you **__are! So I'll play with you!'_

Suddenly he was hefted up, and leaned back against the wall by the same force that had held him there. The room was dimly lit by the bubbles in the glass tube, and not much else. The computers on the far side of the room whirred quietly, and occasionally beeped, but there was nothing else. Just the sound of his heartbeat racing under his skin, and the increasingly frightening voice in his ears.

' _Now what shall we play? Do you know any good games, Adrian?'_

He shook his head, throat too tight to speak.

' _Hmmm... we can't duel because I don't have a body. And in a boring place like this, I Spy would be no fun. How about a guessing game?'_

He tried to breathe, and it got choked up. He fell forward, coughing into his hand. Something wet passed into his palm. He pulled back, and trembled as he realized there were spots of red on his hand.

' _No? Alright then. Gimme a minute, I'll think of something.'_

He shook, his mind screaming for him to leave but his body not listening, held captive by the dangerous, childlike voice and the force that was the only thing keeping him upright.

' Echo.' He thought of her soft smiles. ' Oh god, Echo, I need you now more than ever. I need you, please.'

' _Oh, I know!' _The voice said happily. ' _We'll play my favourite game.'_

Adrian was propped up more against the wall. The bubbles behind the glass were churning faster, a faint red light starting to seep out of them.

' _It's really easy. You don't even have to do anything! You just sit there, and let me do __**all **__the work!'_

The room was being lit by the reddish glow, casting a hellish haze over everything. The substance the bubbles were comprised of were pushing against the glass, straining to reach him. His mind told him to run but his legs wouldn't move. He'd been struck lame by terror.

' _This is called the Mind-Reader Game. Wanna know how it works?'_

There was a red mass with streaks of white running down the length of it converging against the glass. It was pulsing, like a heart. Bile rose in his throat.

' _You sit right there, just like that...'_ He was pushed even more. His aching arm fell to rest against his stomach. ' _That's it! You're a natural at this!'_

The red mass swirled around and around itself, creating a whirlpool. He couldn't take his eyes off of it.

' _Now, this is how the game goes. You sit there really, really quietly, and I tried to read your mind.'_

Something bulged on the outside of the glass. Something gray, and veiny, and disgusting, with a slit right down the middle. White was pulsing along the veins.

' _I played this game with Viper, but was no fun at all.'_

The veins began to pulse harder. The white flared, as the red behind it did the same.

' _I told you he was boring. His mind was so easy to read. Pierce, Pierce, Pierce. He just kept thinking about his dead son day in and day out. There was nothing else! No colour, no change. Just boring, boring, __**boring!**__'_

The white began to bleed out of the veins as they ruptured, sending tiny streams of it hissing down the side of the glass tube. As they touched the floor, they ate away at it.

' _Not like you, Adrian. You've got some interesting things hidden away in here. You've got some darkness.'_

The slit at the center of the gray mass slowly started to open, oozing more white onto the floor.

' _That always makes for an interesting game. People with one-tracked minds aren't much fun. Pierce, Pierce, Pierce, Winning, winning, winning. People who have good hearts are so one note that nothing else ever seems to make it into their minds. You've got to have a little darkness. It makes things more interesting.'_

The lid fully opened, and as Adrian stared in horror at the massive red eye that seemed to look right into his soul, a terrible realization came over him.

The voice wasn't in his ears.

It was in his _mind_.

A soft, musical laugh met his ears, and it was the last thing he heard before he was catapulted back into the memories he'd do anything to forget.

' _This is going to be __**so**__ much fun!'_

* * *

Chazz supposed that every villain liked a good monologue, but Viper was pushing it with his explanation of the Bio Bands and how much he needed Jaden's power.

They'd run into the interior of the labs, spotting Viper riding up an elevator, wearing what could only be described as one of the most over the top duel disks they'd ever seen. And they had Crowler for a teacher. It was clear that Viper wanted them to follow, but Chazz thought it was just a dick move to take the only elevator car and leave them to run up a mountain of stairs. And then to trick them on to a helicopter pad (why did Duel Academy have helicopter pad at the _animal research labs?_ Why did they have animal research labs at what was essentially a very-high end bordering school for high schoolers dedicated to teaching the art of dueling? And why, oh dear god why, did every half-witted, two-bit, dumbass megalomaniac managed to find their way to one specific island in the middle of the Pacific that may or may not be on charts? And why did all their schemes hinge on the game of Duel Monsters? Chazz had always questions that about The Plan, but had kept quiet. After all, one did not with Slade and Jagger Princeton.), only to send it sky rocketing up, was just plain mean.

And Chazz wasn't even going to touch the fact that Viper was playing with a snake based deck. It was just...too much.

Some might wonder, with all his complaints, why Chazz had followed Jaden. Syrus thought of Jaden as his brother, and Hassleberry had respect for a superior drilled into his drill sergeant mind, and Alexis trusted Jaden and Lia clearly was just too stupid to leave (and a very small part of him respected that. A bitch and an idiot she may be, but she stuck to her guns and there was something admirable about that. Not that'd he'd ever tell her.), but many would wonder what it was that drove Chazz Princeton to follow after Jaden Yuki when he so clearly despised him.

Well, it showed those losers knew, because Chazz didn't despise Jaden. Not one little bit.

Jaden was a slacker, and an idiot, and had a hero complex a mile long, but he was the best thing to ever happen to Chazz. He was the first person to look past the anger, and past the violence, and, yes, past the Princeton name and see the little boy who just plain old Chazz, who wanted to be free and wanted to be friends. Jaden had saved Chazz, in more ways than one, and Chazz had secretly admired the boy for doing that.

And then Jaden had fallen from grace the last year.

Chazz had been devastated. His saviour was a fraud, and if Jaden could fall, then Chazz was doomed. Because Chazz was only as strong as the person who saved him, and he could only be as good as Jaden taught him to be. When Jaden had lost the ability to see his cards, and had fled, an anger the likes of which Chazz had never known had erupted inside of him. If Jaden wasn't up on his pedestal, then what did Chazz have, really? How could he possibly overcome the innate wickedness inside of him, if the guy he was banking on to save him couldn't even save himself? Chazz had fallen into despair, and, subsequently, under the thrall of the Light if Destruction.

Looking back, it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

It had been hard, and it had hurt, and he'd had to struggle until he was sure he was going to die. He could still remember the feel of the Light crushing the life out of him, burning him away until he was ash. He could still feel the heat of It, scorching his very soul as he tried fruitlessly to make It stop. It had been terrible, and he had been sure he was going to die right up until Jaden had saved him for a second time.

And then Jaden had pointed out something Chazz had missed. Nearly overcome with despair a second time, hurt and lost and afraid, Chazz had begged Jaden to tell him why fighting the Light wasn't futile, and Jaden had called him the pinnacle of human strength.

It remained the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given him.

Chazz had waited to be strong his whole life, first for the Plan, then for himself. And now, as he tagged along after Jaden, hatching plans with the boy and Alexis, trying to nip the danger in the bud before it could grow into the disaster it had been the previous year, Chazz had decided to learn how to be strong for others.

Because Jaden wasn't infallible. He'd fallen from grace once, and he could do it again at a moment's notice. Jaden walked a fine line, Chazz had noticed. He was the hero yes, and he wanted to help people, but there were moments when the younger boy seemed so worn out and spread so thin that Chazz thought it was a miracle that Jaden managed to drag himself out of bed in the morning. There were moments when Chazz could tell that all Jaden wanted to do was curl up in a little ball, put his hands over his ears, and let someone else handle the problem, just once.

Chazz knew that sometimes, Jaden swung dangerously close to falling off the knife's edge into oblivion. Unlike Hassleberry, whose faith was blind, or Alexis, whose enthusiasm sometimes dimmed her perceptions, Chazz could see perfectly clearly. Jaden wasn't perfect, but he was trying so hard, and there was something really admirable about that. It didn't change the fact that Jaden was on a tight rope, though.

Chazz followed Jaden because Jaden had saved him. Chazz followed him because Jaden had fallen, and made Chazz think. Chazz followed Jaden because the boy had pointed out to Chazz his own power and, in so doing, had freed the older boy from ever needed to rely on Jaden to save him again. Chazz followed Jaden because the other Slifer had taught Chazz how to save himself.

Chazz followed Jaden because one day, Jaden was going to slip off that knife's edge, and when he did, Chazz was going to be there to help him in any way he could.

Chazz followed Jaden because he was loyal.

Viper played Venom Swamp, and a reddish brown sludge covered the field, and a moment later he managed to destroy Clayman. Jaden growled. And Chazz stared at Viper, daring the man to try and gloat. When he did, Chazz smirked at the predictability.

" And here. We. Go."

* * *

...

...Yeeeeah, Imma go hide from Yubel.

Yubel: Why?

Ohfucking_christ_! Where did you come from?! How did you get here?! _Why are you heeeeeeere?!_

Yubel: I just wanted to say hello to you and your friends. *smiles at audience* Hello there.

*hyperventilating* Oh god, oh god, ohgodohgodohgod.

Yubel: What? I'm just trying to be friendly. That's how you make people like you, right?

...Yes?

Yubel: Because I've been very lonely lately. Very, very lonely. And I need some new friends to play with. *smiles turns sinister* Do you want to play with me?

I'm gonna hafta go with..._noooo_.

Yubel: *pouts; it is in no way endearing* Oh, why not? Don't you _like_ me?

Come back in Part Two, and we'll talk.

Yubel: You need to name that.

I don't see what's wrong with what I've got.

Yubel: 'Year Three Part Two: In Which Shit FINALLY Gets Explained' isn't a very good title, M-sie.

Oh god, I have a nickname. You've given me a nickname. Some part of my soul just died of fright.

Yubel: Neither is 'Year Three Part Two: See? I TOLD You That Would Make Sense Eventually'.

Wait, I'm a god here. I have god powers. Why am I so afr-

Yubel: I-munni-ity~!

...I'm gonna die a horrible, painful death. Oh god, you're gonna do to me what you did to Adrian. Oh, and there. There we go people. Here is where Adrian stops getting to be smug. I'm not sure it ever gets better for him from this point on.

Yubel: Adrian is so much fun to play with! He's a good boy, and he catches on so quick! Did you see how much fun I had playing the Mind-Reader Game with him?

Yeah, I'm trying VERY hard not to think about that. Also, does that count as something that's going to get me banned off of the site? Is that too much of a 'suggestion of violence'? I don't know! There are no measuring stick! There's no control group! What is going too far, site? What is going too far?! At least TELL me so I can...well, I couldn't avoid it here. This is an establishing character moment for Yubel! It sets the tone for her for the rest of Part One!

Yubel: And soon, they'll be so many people to play with! I'll have so much fun! *giggles*

...Why do I do this to myself? First the Light, and now..._her_. I'm must be really twisted somewhere in my subconscious.

Yubel: And then, once I've played with _everyone_ and there's no one left to get between us, I'll finally have _Jaden_.

And on that creepy, creepy note, I'm out. Sorry for the delay, it's a stormy, stormy weekend where I am, and other things are going on in my house. I'll try to be better about it tomorro-

Yubel: Hey! *grabs MoS*

GAH!

Yubel: You _will_ write my reunion with Jaden, won't you?

Oh fuck.

Yubel: _Won't you, M-sie?_

...*looks at audience* Pray for me.

MoS

Yubel: Bye-bye everybody. Me 'n M-sie have some stuff to discuss, so you should all hurry off. _You wouldn't want to be rude, would you?_


	20. Moods

Warning: Jaden...angst? Is that what this is? I'm not sure.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

And going into a duel in a bad mood just made it worse.

Jaden loved dueling. He had, ever since he was little. His babysitter, the very first one, a young pretty, foreign exchange student from England, had finally given into his pleas and let herself be dragged into the hobby shop across the street. She'd bought him several starter and booster packs, laughingly telling him that if it got him to be quiet, she'd buy him the entire store. But he'd been content with the few packs of cards. Because with that, he'd been able to start down the road to being the King of Games.

He'd had many babysitters after Emily-san had left, but she was the one he remembered the most fondly. She had been the gateway, the door that opened onto the road that led to his eventual destiny. Jaden had fallen in love with Duel Monsters. It was everything he wanted in a game. There were scary beasts and cool effects and it made him think, even though he was just a little kid. He had to plan, and there was also an element of luck in it that made everything more exciting and fun.

Jaden was always in a good mood when he dueled.

Only, he hadn't been. Not recently.

In the previous two years, dueling had somehow stopped being only for fun. Not that he didn't still have fun; he did, just not as much. Mock duels with his friends were fine, and a duel with a run-of-the-mill student usually got him pumped, but it was the big duels, the hard duels, the duels against the bad guy that had stopped being so much fun. There was still the rush of adrenaline from fighting such a powerful opponent, and still the fact that he enjoyed playing his cards and figuring out ways to beat the person across the field, but the playful, easy going natural he'd cultivated in his dueling was all but gone.

Jaden didn't necessarily think it was a god awful thing. After all, people had been telling him to grow up and realize that the world wasn't as nice as he thought it was his entire life. He'd been called immature enough times for the sting to go out of the insult. While he hadn't been aware of it, Jaden had recently discovered that he'd been terribly naive, trying to see the good in people when, maybe there wasn't any to be found. He'd believed that all it took to save someone was a smile, a speech, and duel.

He'd believed that right up until Syrus had been taken.

That's when it had all started. Jaden had risked his life and in so doing, was forced to re-examine several things. He hadn't dueled the Beasts. He wasn't even sure how he had won. He shouldn't have, that much was certain. He should have died down in that crypt, but he hadn't. He lived, and gotten Syrus back, and everyone had congratulated him for being so strong as to escape without paying a price.

They were wrong.

He'd paid a price.

He'd given up something he could never get back, down in that choking darkness, and it had been influencing him ever since. Something had awoken, as the shadows tore into him and the Beasts roared. Something that had blasted them back, something that had known how to fight the Light of Destruction. Something that took made him take dueling seriously, and see the world as just a little darker.

Something that used that knew about the power of words, and had called Exitium by Its true name.

Elemental Hero Plasma Vice destroyed Venom Snake in a shower of sparks and thin streams of energy, and then returned to Jaden's side. Viper's lifepoints dropped to 2400.

" An impressive monster and an impressive move." Viper nodded in acknowledgement. " Enjoy it while it lasts. I play my Snake Whistle!"

Jaden sighed.

" If you think you're the first person to say that to me..." He shook his head, uncaring of the two monsters that appeared on the other side of the field (although the third eye smack dab in the center of Venom Boa's forehead was a little unnerving). He was more concerned about the turquoise, rippling water shaped like a snake that had attached itself to Plasma Vice and brought him down to 2300. He ground his teeth.

" If those snakes keep attackin', Jaden won't last much longer!"

" Thank you Jesse. Your confidence in me is awe-inspiring." The Slifer muttered under his breath. Jesse, who hadn't heard him, continued to talk to Hassleberry.

" Aneh brahght ahdeas?"

" Seek an' destroy?" The army brat answered. Jaden grit his teeth. He was ready to start yelling at them (because who, in their right mind, interfered with a duel? Who went and attacked an opponent when they weren't even the ones throwing down? Had they forgotten all pieces of etiquette and common courtesy? Or did they really not have any faith in him? Or maybe- and here was that little part of his mind that he hated because it spoke logically and impartially, un-swayed by the tears of others- what they were afraid of wasn't Viper. What drove them to such a state wasn't the fear of what Viper would _do_ to him. They were afraid of what Viper would _push_ him to.), but Syrus saved him the trouble. He didn't turn around, but he could feel the smaller boy's glare.

" Jaden," Syrus said very slowly and very angrily, " doesn't _need_ any help. He'll be just _fine._ Sit down before I _make you_."

There was silence from Jesse and Hassleberry, and Jaden breathed in relief as Viper, across from him, drew a card.

" They don't seem to have much faith in you." He taunted, but Jaden didn't rise to the bait. The logical part of his mind was still hissing about the look in Jesse's eyes when Jaden had dueled the Light, and about how Hassleberry had problems sitting still at the best of times, let alone with an altered form of the Light floating around in the air, trigger all their baser instincts. Jaden was just grateful that most of his friends had built up an immunity, even if Lia's fear of Shirley had become almost comical, and Syrus and Alexis' tempers were starting to get frayed. Jim had clearly been fighting to keep himself in check, and Jaden wondered if it hadn't been a bad idea to bring the older boy along. He hadn't been exposed to any form of the Light before this year, and it was clearly taking its toll on him. But Jim knew more about wildlife and animals than the rest of them combined, and Jaden was willing to bet that Jim would be a good person to have in a tight spot. He clearly knew how to handle himself.

So Jaden supposed that Jim would just have to deal with the faint traces of Light in the air. Jaden wondered why they weren't interfering now, as he could feel the Bio Band growing hot against his wrist, but then, the feeling in the wind had changed again. When there had been interference before, it had felt like a thread had been cut somewhere. He'd been suspicious as to why Jim and Hassleberry had seemed fine after their duel, only to collapse once they'd gotten farther away from the clearing. Alexis had confirmed his suspicions. It was the Light, but it wasn't the same Light they'd encountered the previous year. It'd been altered somehow, something else mixed in with it. None of them had any clue as to what it was, but it was just another reason to go and investigate.

Now, as he dueled Viper, the feeling in the air had changed. The threads were somehow thicker, pulling more, not disentangling and trying to shove him away. If anything, he felt like he was trapped at the dead center of the whirlpool on the rune.

The Rune of the Harvest. It made far, far too much sense.

" It's...a little more complicated than that." Was all he said.

" Well then, allow me to make it more complicated." He didn't like the sound of that. " My Venom Serpent's special ability allows my Venom Swamp to release another snake to drain your monster's attack points."

Plasma Vice was down to 1800 as another watery snake latched onto his previously free right arm. Jaden scowled.

" And now, Venom Boa allows for _two_ _more_ snakes to emerge from the swamp and-"

" I'm beginning to see a pattern here." Jaden said dryly as Plasma Vice was drained to a meager 800.

" Don't interrupt me."

" Do something interesting and I won't."

" Your monster is down to 800 attack points, my field spell is in play, and I have two monsters on the field." Viper was trying to sound impressive. " And you're acting like you're on vacation at the beach."

" Look, it's like I said before. This isn't the first time this has happened." Jaden narrowed his eyes. " And I doubt it will be the last."

" Oh, I know all about your exploits."

" I really doubt it." Jaden muttered, but was ignored.

" But let me assure you, I am something which you have never faced."

" Yeah right!" Alexis spared him the trouble of answering. " You think we haven't seen your type before? A power-hungry douche-bag who doesn't care who he steps on to get what he wants! You're the textbook definition!"

" Come back when you have some originality." Chazz taunted.

That was another change. Chazz and Alexis looked to him as a leader now. They'd looked to him before, of course, but that had been as a saviour, as someone who could make everything right again. It wasn't the same as last year. Then, they'd been waiting for him to do everything because he'd been trying to shield them, uncertain of their power on such a playing field. Now, they were his soldiers, his proud generals who took his orders and then took initiative. They were aware of their own power at long last, and he was no longer their saviour. He was their leader, but he wasn't so alone on the front lines anymore.

" I sacrifice my Venom Boa and my Venom Serpent to bring forth Venomena, the King of Poisonous Serpents!" Viper snarled, clearly goaded by Chazz's taunts and Alexis' dismissal. Jaden watched the red sludge consume the two snakes, wincing at it did so. It was actually rather gross to watch. A new figure began to rise out of the muck, with a long red cape and an almost ridiculously oversized golden headpiece. The thing was, of course, made to resemble a cobra, and Jaden sighed.

Was this what he looked like to others when he insisted on playing with his hero cards? He certainly hoped not. While he didn't begrudge Viper using his favourite cards, there was just something very egotistical about a man playing a Snake deck when his name was _Viper_.

" My King might look weak, but for every snake I have in my Grave, he gains 500 attack points!" The monster's points climbed to 1500. " Now go, take out his Plasma Vice!"

The monster extended an arm, and instead of hands there were more snakes, dark skinned and hissing. They opened their mouths wide, shooting a purple, noxious looking smoke from them. The smoke struck Plasma Vice, who fell over and exploded.

' _Jaden! Be careful!_' The dual overlapped voices of Blade Edge and Spark Man sounded in his mind. ' _This guy...something's driving him!'_

' You mean he wants to win?' At his side, Neos appeared, staring at Viper with narrowed blue eyes.

' _No, that's not it. It's not just that he wants to win, Jaden. It's that he feels he __**has**__ to.'_

Jaden looked at his opponent, who'd played a face-down. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Jesse talking quietly to Ruby, who had clearly caught into the same things Jaden's monsters had. He could almost feel the agitation seeping out of the Northern boy.

' Well, whatever it is, Jesse knows about it.'

A soft hum sounded behind him. Alexis' voice answered, and then he could hear her and Jesse talking quickly. Chazz's stare burned into the back of his head, but he didn't pay attention. Neos put a hand on his shoulder, warm and heavy and completely see through.

' _There is more going on here that meets the eye._'

' Should I be worried?'

' _Aren't you already?_

The group behind him jolted as Jesse jumped forward, demanding that Viper start telling the truth about things. Jaden bit the inside of his cheek.

' Well...I'm not really sure. After what happened last year...'

' _Don't you start getting cocky._' Burstinatrix was at his side. Flare Scarab shimmered into being on the other.

' _Listen to the Fire Lady, Jay! You get a big head and it's only a matter of time before you fall.'_

Viper held up his left arm, smirking as he pulled down the blue sleeve of his jacket.

" Oh, _ew_!" Jesse hissed.

" That's disgusting!" Hassleberry agreed. At his side, Chazz raised a brow.

" What the hell _is_ that?"

" A present...from a night a very long time ago."

' _That's nasty.'_ Burstinatrix wrinkled her nose. ' _I mean look at. It's all scaly and crap.'_

' _You said it, Fire Lady.'_

' _Jaden.'_ Neos sounded worried.

He should be.

Jaden had frozen. Viper was talking about how he'd gotten the arm, the others standing horrified behind him. Alexis had a hand over her mouth. Lia was looking pale and a little green around the edges. Chazz was swearing softly. But Jaden didn't care. Nothing mattered, not one thing, except that hand of Viper's. That dark, scale-covered, dangerously familiar hand that he could just reach out and touch, that he could use to make himself remember that one, very important thing that he needed to know-

_There, there is a sturdy table, like the one in his dining room._

_And the lamp on the end table by the couch. Green and hideous and a wedding present from an old friend of his mother's. He can't remember the name she'd told him. He can barely remember anything at all._

_The couch where he used to play videogames with some of his babysitters. Their faces blur together in his mind, formless, shapeless, and, worst of all, completely devoid of any recognizable features. He can no more tell one face from another than he can jump off the roof of the Obelisk Blue Dorm and start flying._

_Back on the table-there are cards now, colourful, bright, beaming cards. He can't see their faces, but there are voices, so many sweet, happy voices, and he can hear them. At long last, he can hear them!_

_Now, a hand reaching across the table. It flips a card, and something swoops into his stomach. A card, but he can't make out the picture. A new voice, just one more in the friendly fray, pipes up, but he can't make out the words. There is a deeper voice now, talking, explaining, and the flash of light reflected off a pair of glasses._

_O..._

_Osa..._

_His mind stretches, and he grasps at the fleeting, flying shards of memories as they float around him. Only there's nothing floating around him, is there? Of course there's nothing, because he's in his house, alone with his cards and his television and something else, someone else...no, some__**thing**__ else, and he's dueling..._

_He's dueling..._

_Osa..._

_Oh, why won't the name come to him? He knows it, and he knows he knows it more than he's ever known anything before- but isn't that a lie?- and it's frustrating and it hurts and he wants to remember that name!_

_A tear slides down his face and the older boy's voice grows concerned but that doesn't matter, because a new voice has come, a new voice, softer than clouds and sweeter than sugar and more dangerous than a cornered tiger, whispers into his ear._

' _No, don't be sad. I won't let you be sad. I will never let anyone make you sad again, alright my Darling?'_

_Darling, Darling. No one has ever called him 'Darling' before. No one..._

_Except..._

_The other boy is moving now, carefully coming around the table. The cards are in disarray. Scattered, like leaves to the wind. Like pieces of a puzzle thrown over the board. Like a shattered mirror, the shards left to lay where they fell._

_Falling..._

_The other boy is falling now. He's falling so fast, like a baby bird who can't figure out how to fly. He's falling, and Jaden wants to go to him, but he can't, because Jaden's falling too, and the cards are falling with him, but they're not cards, they're bits of glass and in them, Jaden can see images, and pictures, and one shines brighter than the rest, bright and beautiful and silver and purple and black and warm, dual-coloured eyes that look at him like he's the only thing that has ever existed and Jaden reaches out to touch but as his hands close over it, a sharp pain explodes in his palm and then..._

_And then..._

_There was a great ocean of sand stretched out before him, running miles and miles away from where he stood. The dunes rose and fell like the waves of an ocean, but instead of the steady, soothing motion the tide, there was a stillness that stole the breath from him. _

_There was no noise; not one single thing sounded in the vastness. The sky hung a sickly shade of deep green, black clouds crawling across it like worms burrowing their way through dirt. Against the pale pallor of the sand, the sky appeared to be darker than it actually once. He squinted his eyes as he looked over the dunes, their paleness reflecting a brightness back at him that hurt. The wind picked up, for a moment, kicking up a dust storm. His arms came to shield his face, the tiny grains leaving stinging marks as they hit his skin._

_He became aware of a terrible heat from somewhere up above. Looking towards the sky again, wincing as he got sand in his eyes, he located the source._

_Three glowing suns beat down on him where he stood, forming a triangle high, high above him._

_Memory exploded over him in a rush of images: A man, a woman, a dagger and a price. The gleam of a medallion, broken in two. A promise. The woman's sad eyes. People down on one knee, bowing to him._

_The threat of monsters looming overhead._

_A hissed warning, and the quiet death of a noble warrior._

_Regret and sacrifice._

_He'd been here before. Years ago, but the landscape had not changed and the heat of the suns beat down as hard as ever._

_This was-_

" _Jaden?"_

_A voice scattered his thoughts._

" _Jaden, why would you play with me?"_

_It was childish, bell-like. The high pitched whine of an ignored child who had yet to learn patience._

_It set his teeth grinding._

" _Don't you __**like **__me anymore?"_

_The sweat that trickled down the side of his face was cold, despite the heat of the suns overhead._

" _Don't you want to be with me anymore?"_

_That voice, that awful, wonderful voice! He knew it, he knew like he would have known his own reflection! But what was the name?_

" _I've missed you so much, Jaden. Why did you go away?"_

_It was on the tip of his tongue, gummed up with flashing images. The table, the cards, the silver-and-purple thing –_

" _Why did you __**leave**__ me?"_

_He hadn't, had he? Because to leave the owner of that voice would be a crime, wouldn't it? There had been a promise, there must've been, because he remembered the vaguest hint of sunset and the peak of a mountain, and vibrant, dual coloured eyes that looked right through to the heart of him._

" _Why did you __**abandon**__ me, Jaden?"_

" _Who are you?!" He screamed at last, his voice almost lost to the wind that was whipping up around them. The suns had vanished behind a cloak of black clouds. The air was heavy. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, and the storm began to gather._

_Again._

" _You don't remember me? You don't even remember that much?"_

" _Show me your face!" His frustration made him bold, and he took a step forward. There were shadows of figures just beyond his vision, outside of the swirl of sand that had kicked up around him._

" _You might've forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten __**you.**__"_

" _Please!" He begged, hoarse at the throat. " Please, show yourself!"_

_But the only answer he received was the scream of the winds as the storm grew closer._

_But then, miraculously, there was an answer._

_A great, terrible eye, surrounded by bulging veins that led nowhere, appeared in the very center of the storm before him, It opened with a sicken sound like a plunger being pulled, and was horrified, held transfixed by the ruby-red pupil that gaze past his flesh and past his bones and right into his soul._

" _Soon." The voice crooned, somehow heard over the roar of the winds. " Soon, you'll be __**all mine**__ again."_

_A figure was crouched just behind the eye. A figure of a boy with spikey hair, impressions of where his eyes should be staring right into Jaden's own. On his left arm, a scaled, clawed thing rose out of the bright, glowing orange substance that made up his form._

" _And I'll __**never**__ let you go again!"_

" Jaden!"

Jaden eyes flew open. Across from him, Viper was staring at him, obviously waiting for a response. His monsters spirits were all around him, fussing and shaking him, trying to get him to snap out of whatever trance he'd fallen into. His friends were at his back, held at a distance by the snakes that were crawling out of the muck that was Venom Swamp. Jaden couldn't tell if they were illusions or not. Somewhere behind him, Shirley roared and Lia whimpered.

Jaden took one small step towards Viper.

" This is about Pierce-kun, isn't it?"

When the man didn't answer, Jaden swayed, the space between his eyes heating up. His monsters rushed to grab him. His friends cried out. And Lia fell to her knees, blood dripping by her collar.

"Oh Viper." Jaden said softly. " What have you done?"

* * *

Yeah, not much to say about this one. It just...is. After the..._joy_ of Yubel yesterday, I thought we could all use a break.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hunt down Axel's computer-hacking, document-stealing ass!

You're dead meat, Brodie!

MoS


	21. Storms

Warnings: Prepare to be confused! So very confused~!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_. I don't own anything.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Lia had no idea what was going on. Of course, that was her natural state when watching a duel. She was almost always confused, and more often than not, dependent on someone else to explain what the hell had happened, how the hell it had happened, and why the hell it did any good in the grand scheme of things. And then, just for good measure, someone would probably have to explain to her again why they couldn't just go to where the bad guy was standing, and punch them out. And then maybe wail on them for a little bit. It seemed like the logical thing to do, but no, card games were the way to go. She never understood, but she kept her mouth shut (well, not really.) sat with her friends, and tried to make sense of things.

But it wasn't her natural confusing that was keeping her from understand at that moment.

It was the pain.

Everything had started out as well as was to be expected. The villain was there, they were monologuing about power or some crap like that, and Jaden had been challenged to a duel, which of course he accepted. Jaden was throwing down cards, the others were yelling pieces of advice, and she was confused as all get out, watching monsters appear and the ground be covered in a muddy, murky, swamp-like field spell.

And then Viper had started talking.

Not just the usual 'I am villain, hear me ROAR' type talking either. Most bad guys explained their plans, being incredibly proud of them. But Viper wasn't going on about power. Well, he was, but not the way Lia had expected. Viper wanted their energy (and he was sounding more and more like that really bad Sailor Moon dub of the early 90's), but he didn't want it for himself.

He'd shown them his arm, a grotesque, mutated thing, covered in scales and an unhealthy shade of purple. He'd started ranting about a night long ago, driving through New Mexico and finding a capsule on the ground. He'd shouted and raved, flinging the arm about. Alexis and Chazz had looked disdainful, Lia remembered that, and Syrus and Jesse had been yelling at Viper for something, but it was all white noise in her ears.

Because Jaden had stopped moving, had stopped doing anything, and the pain had started.

By this point, she was used to it. It hurt to watch Jaden duel, it was as simple as that. She was used to it by now. She knew what to expect whenever Jaden threw down. It was just common sense by that point (which in and of itself was a terrifying prospect. It was common sense that she started _bleeding_ every time Jaden dueled? It was common sense that she was going to be in _pain _before the last card was played? That couldn't be healthy. And yet, for some reason, she could never stay away. She'd written it off as stubbornness but there was something else at work, something that made her dream of storms and black oceans at night).

But what happened wasn't as common.

It was pain, yes, but it was a different kind of pain. It was there, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was strong, yet she could barely feel it. There had been one, ripping, terrible surge of it, like a wave rushing up the very center of her, tearing her apart. It felt as though a spear had taken her chest and sent her heart flying out of her back, her body arched, blood splattering down over her torso. Agony dulled everything, and for a moment, she knew nothing.

She felt as though she was falling, tumbling down, down, down into a dark abyss that had no end...

_A tower was gleaming in the distance, shining as the sunlight was reflected off of it, the moat around it lapping at the marble. She willed the image to change, aware only of the fact that the gleaming structure upset her, and she wanted it gone. The tower started to sway, and she wonder if it was going to fall, and come toppling down in a hundred thousand pieces. She remembered something about a card and her cousins showing her different ways to arrange them, and she looked up at the sky. There were clouds rolling in on the horizon, blocking out the sun. She wondered if it was going to thunder. The sky looked dark enough for it._

_She looked down at her feet and was surprised to see that she was standing on the edge of a cliff, the wind whipping up clouds of dust at her feet. Only it wasn't dust at all. It was sand, and when she turned around, she saw that she was on the very edge of a desert, under a forlorn, dark green sky. She turned back to look at the tower, gulping as she took in the storm clouds that were rolling in. They seemed even darker than black, and when she looked under them, she saw that they were being reflected by the ocean._

_Her eyes widened, and she took a step away from the cliff. The image of the clouds on the smooth water's surface was distorted by a ripple that started in the very center. It spread out, growing larger and larger, waves following its path until Lia realized it was a huge whirlpool, spinning faster and faster. _

_She took another step back._

_The low roar of thunder met her ears, the clouds lighting along their bottoms in sheet lightening. She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to walk backwards. The clouds rumbled again, louder this time, and a bolt of white lightening shot down just behind her. She let out a shriek and darted forward, her hands pressed to her ears._

" _What is this?" She called, the wind howling around her. _

_She turned around to look at the tower again, it's brilliance not dimmed by the lack of sunlight in the sky. Instead, it seemed to be brighter, stark white against the black sky. She watched a forked tongue of lightening strike at the tower, and her mind flashed to the image of the tarot card her cousin had shown her, a tower hit by lightening, with citizens who were on fire leaping from the top, screaming._

_The lightening split the sky, and she was struck by how white it was. It even made the tower look dark in comparison._

_No, that wasn't right. _

_The lightening was white, but the tower wasn't white at all. It was silver._

_And, she looked harder, squinting her eyes, it didn't really look like any tower she'd ever seen. She couldn't make you bricks and stones that should've made up the body. She couldn't see a roof at the top. She couldn't even find a tiny slit of a window where an arrow might be fired out of, or a princess might sit and watch the world outside, hoping to catch sight of someone who would save her. It was a very slender tower too, incredibly smooth, and she frowned as she tried to make out more distinct features._

_Without warning, the lightning struck again. The tower sizzled with energy, and she felt her jaw unhinge as she realized that it wasn't a tower at all, but a pillar of silver light blazing a path up to the sky. _

_She was so transfixed by the tower, she failed to hear the ringing of power around her until the telltale buzz of electricity had her looking up, straight into an on-coming lightning bolt._

_The world exploded into white light around her. Unable to move, unable to think, unable, even, to tremble before the might of everything, she fell like a ragdoll, down, down, her visions clouded over with vicious white. She was blind, deaf, and dumb, her screams silenced before they touched the air, air that was humming with a strange power that was both foreign and familiar. Every inch of her hurt, but she was numb at the heart of it all, her senses dulled and her skin feeling oddly cut off from. Despite the blinding whiteness, the world before her was muted, cotton in her ears and mouth, gumming up her words until she couldn't speak. She kept falling, weightless, baseless, a feather blown about in a storm._

_Storm. The clouds had been gathering for a storm, a storm which broke around her now, shattering the white light of the lightning bolt. Only it wasn't a storm, because there was no roar of the winds and no icy stabbing of rain. There was nothing but the heavy hanging clouds about her, and she couldn't distinguish one from another. They swirled together, a formless mass of black thunder, but no thunder echoed, not even thunder pretending to be the cries of beasts. Instead, the clouds were sliding into one another, rolling over and over and over until they were one thing, one great, terrible, black cloud. And the cloud descended on her, encompassing her, carrying her far, far away..._

_And then there were sand dunes stretching out overhead and a sun, brighter and hotter than she'd ever seen it, blazing down on her. She stared out at the vast sea of sand, taking in the barren landscape and the faded, colourless sky. The air scorched the inside of her throat as she breathed in, and her skin felt itchy and tattered as the wind whipped about. An overwhelming sense of sorrow swelled in her chest, spreading slowly outwards until her arms felt heavy and her legs were water, unable to support her. She dropped her knees, hands braced on the stone railing in front of her. Her eyes stung as the tears slide down her cheeks._

_She didn't even remember beginning to cry, but the tiny drops dripped off her chin and spattered on the stones beneath her. Cracks spider webbed out from where the tears had hit the stone, and cracks raced along the firm platform that held her. To her horror, the cracks converged, sliding together and opening up great holes in the rocks that supported her. She leapt to her feet, but when she tried to run, her legs were stiff, unmoving, rooted down to the crumbling floor. She looked down, yanking at her immobile limbs, and the dread that had been filling her magnified tenfold._

_Seeping up out of the cracks in the ground, in curling, horrible tendrils, was a thick, entirely solid darkness, like the mist back in the cave so long ago, like the mass that had carried her to this desolate place. It had wrapped itself around her ankles, rooting her to the spot as the stone under her crumbled and shook, falling away to reveal a great, black abyss. Her eyes widened, taking in the gaping nothingness, and she tried to struggle, but the tendrils had crept up farther up her body, holding her in place._

_And then she was back in the cave, the moonlight casting all the rocks around her into a blue glow. The etching in the stone floor shone in the light gleaming in through the skylight, and she almost had to turn away to keep it from blinding her. All around, the cracks grew, letting the darkness seep in, hauling her down into the abyss beneath her feet._

_She blinked, and suddenly she was in the dead center of the circle carving, standing over the glowing stone, the only light in the total darkness around her. Then the sturdy stone under her feet vanished, and she slipped through, falling faster and faster into the inky black chasm, staring up at the circle that shone above her. And then it was the impossibly bright sun from earlier, beating down on her as she slipped away from the light._

_The wind whistled around her, and not even she heard the name that was ripped from her lips in a moment of terror._

A jolt went through her body, and then, suddenly, it was as if she was watching someone else fall to the ground with a startled cry. It was someone else who was clutching the collar of her shirt. It was someone else sobbing and crying, pulling at her hair, desperately trying to make sense of anything in that cloud of torment that was the pain beneath her chest. Blood dripped through fingers that weren't hers, and when Alexis dropped down to try and help her and Jim yelled in shock at the sight, it wasn't her who was the focus.

It was just a strange, pale-faced girl who had no idea of what was going on.

She sniffed, and turned away.

There he was.

Shining like a star, he burned against the drab backdrop of the world. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, to let him know that she was there, _right there_. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and squeeze so tight that the two of them would meld together, into one person. There had been a spell for that, long ago, hadn't there? She couldn't remember. She didn't care. Because _he_ was there and that was all that mattered.

Of course it was.

How could anything else matter? How could anyone else exist? The snivelling girl down below, blazing with Exitium's gift, the shivering boy in black, that simpering, jittery boy with his gem beasts? Never. Who were they, in the grand scheme of it all? Who were any of them, any of the weak-minded fools who inhabited this world she saw beneath her. She had lifetimes all on them, centuries and centuries of true pain and suffering, of love and devotion, of patience, always of patience.

She hated them every single one of them, that dared to stand between her and him.

She turned, bored, to look at his opponent.

And froze for a second time.

There, on his arm...

That thing...

That hideous, scaly _monstrosity_...

A scowl curled her lips. So that was it, was it? Now, after all this time, now it decided to move to this point.

' So you've come here to find him, have you?' She thought as Bubbleman was destroyed.

Down below, the crying girl was silent, her tears slipping soundlessly down her face as she stared at his red back.

' Don't you look at him! Never look at him! Take your unworthy eyes off of him, all of you!'

A storm whipped up around her, angry winds tearing and tossing her hair to and fro. Clouds started to gathering, slowly at her feet, dark and heavy with rain. In the distance, thunder rumbled in her ears, blocking out the noise of the duel. The man, the opponent baring that sickening arm, was laughing about something. Neos arrived on the other side of the field in a flash of rainbow light. For a moment, as he hung suspended, summoned, but not yet materialized, his head turned. And those blue eyes found her own.

She sneered at him, even as he was attacked by a watery, curling snake. His points dropped, and she saw his radiance dim.

The storm was swirling faster around her now. To her horror, she found her vision of him obscured by the darkening clouds. With a shriek, she reached out, trying to bat them away, but to no avail. The storm grew thicker, mist settling in around her. The wind roared, and suddenly she was being pulled back, hauled away from him against her will. She struggled, kicking and screaming, clawing at the clouds as he began to fade from her sight, stolen all over again.

' _No!_' She screamed. ' No, not again! Don't take him away again! _Please!_'

The crying girl, the only thing still visible in the haze around her, looked up as if startled. She paid her no mind.

' Let me go!' Whatever it was was pulling harder now, wrenching her away from him and the duel. Fury and fear pounded in her body. She reached one hand out to where she could still make out the glow of his energy, her fingers outstretched. Somewhere beyond her, she heard Marine Neos give a cry as he was poisoned, but she ignored it.

' _Please._' She sobbed, but it was in vain. The storm was pulling her farther and farther away from him,, pushing her out of the eye where he stood. The world swam in and out of darkness around her, and her body back to tire as she fought, hopelessly, to see him again.

The crying girl was looking from left to right, curiously visible despite the storm. A dark stain of blood covered her front. She was haggard and tired, and looked as though she would give anything to be anywhere other than where she was. The foolish, ungrateful brat was close enough to touch him, and she didn't want to be near him anymore? Rage made her want to spit at the girl, but she couldn't even find the energy to do that. She was so tired, so worn out from fighting. The sound of the rain in the clouds was starting to lull her to sleep.

She looked up one last time, letting out a raw cry as she saw the pale glow a familiar, orange energy.

' You bitch! You monstrous _bitch!_ Don't you touch him, you understand me?! Don't you _touch_ him!'

Down below, the crying girl jumped as thought she'd been shocked and turned her head very slowly. The girl was looking right at her, her eyes impossibly wide, but she couldn't care less. With the last of her energy, the storm pulling a blanket over senses and lulling her to sleep once more, she gave a shout.

' You stay _away _from him! Do you hear me?! _Do you?! Don't touch him, Yubel!_'

And then she was gone, lost in her storm, and Lia Shanner gave a puzzled, startled cry as the world flew apart in front of her eyes, and she fainted dead away.

* * *

Jesse thought that it was rather telling of the group and the various situations with varying levels of danger that they managed to get themselves into that the immediate reaction to Lia passing to without any discernible cause was, " Oh _Christ_, not _again!_"

Of course, it was _Chazz_ saying it, so maybe that was part of it.

" Lia, honey?" Alexis shook her friend. Lia lay against the blonde's chest unmoving and unresponsive. Syrus was at Alexis' right, while Jim had hunkered down on her left, carefully feeling for a pulse.

" 'Er 'eart's racin'." He observed with a frown. " She 'ave sum koinda condition?"

Alexis was saved from answering (and how she was going to answer, she wasn't sure.) by Chazz dropping to his knees in front of her, glaring at the comatose girl.

" Wake up!" He snapped. When that failed to produce any results save for him getting scowled at, he leaned closer. " I swear to god, if you fall into another coma, while we are _on a helipad_, I will _THROW YOU OFF IT!_"

There was a pause. Viper played Venom Shot. Jesse frowned and winced as Marine Neos was poisoned down to 1300 attack points.

Finally, it was Jim who found his voice.

" Don't think that'll work, mate, seein' as 'ow you'd be doin' more 'arm 'an good." His ability to speak seemed to lift the spell of the others.

" You'll do _no such thing._" Alexis snapped, gathering the girl to her chest. Chazz rolled his eyes

" Chill, Lexi. I wouldn't really."

" Well, real or not, it ain't workin'." Hassleberry climbed to his feet. " Hey, Sarge! We got a man down over here!"

" Girl." Syrus corrected him. He frowned.

" It's an expression, Trusedale. Point is, Miss Lia's down and we need ta get off this thing!"

"Hate to break it to ya, Strawberry, but I don't exactly see a _down_ button on this thing anywhere!"

" Well, we can't just sit here an' do nothin'!"

" It's what we always do!"

" Bullshit!"

As Chazz and Hassleberry leapt at each other's throats and Jim tried to calm them down in very much the same way she'd seen him calm Shirley down, Alexis gathered Lia to her chest and pushed the hair out of her sweaty forehead.

" She was looking at something."

Alexis looked up. Syrus had moved to take Chazz's place in front of her. He was staring at Lia with narrowed eyes.

" What?"

" Right before she passed out." He clarified. " She was staring at something off in the distance. I mean, at the beginning, she was just staring at Jaden like she usually does, but then, it was like she heard something. And she started staring off into the distance."

" Was there something there?"

" I don't know." Syrus gave a dry smile. " You're the one with the special eyes Lex." She frowned.

" I don't think she was seeing the Light-"

" That's not the only thing special about your eyes." He tapped his temple. " Jaden's in the middle of a duel, Chazz spends most of his time pretending he isn't keeping an eye on Lia, and Jesse is watching Aniki's back for this thing. Out of all of us who're left, only you can..."

He looked pointedly at her duel disk. Specifically, the slot that held her cards. Alexis flushed a little under the scrutiny.

" I didn't...I wasn't looking over there and," she glanced up, " there's nothing there now."

" Hmm..." Syrus hummed to himself. On the field, Jaden played miracle fusion, summoning Wild Edge to his side. The gold-plated monster took a look around at the situation, frowning under his vizor.

' _I don't like this_.' Cyber Tutu whirred over Alexis' shoulder. ' _There's something burning here_.'

' The Light.'

Her monster spirit shook her head, her pink hair flying back and forth. There were still scars along her body from where she'd been attacked the previous year. Chazz still couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes, even though she'd forgiven him.

' _Yes...No...Can't tell. It's the same, but not the same. It's the Light, but not the Light. Something burns, but it burns differently._'

' You're confusing me, Tutu.'

' _Everyone's confused. I'm confused! Don't understand. That man...he's...'_

' Is he burning?'

Her monster shook her head again, frowning and biting her lip. On the field, a Medusa-like figure crawled out of the muck, her wicked red eyes fixed on Jaden.

' _No, not like...'_ Cyber Tutu shot a look at Chazz. ' _Not like...before, just...there's something...something in the air, and on the wind, and all around. Something old, something strong, something I haven't felt in so long.'_

' So it's familiar then?' Alexis pulled Lia closer, unconsciously trying to protect the girl from whatever it was.

Cyber Tutu nodded, not looking at Alexis, but at Jaden.

' _Familiar...yes, it's familiar. Like an old lullaby. Like a picture you haven't seen in a long time, a memory that your mind almost forgot was there.'_

On the field, Jaden trembled as the beastly card on Viper's side sent a snake right through his chest.

' _A memory...that's what this is. A memory.'_

At Jesse's side, Amethyst Cat, Topaz Tiger, and Ruby Carbuncle were standing, the smallest monster resting on the tiger's shoulders, shaking with fear.

' _The air is full of memories, Alexis.'_ Cyber Tutu turned her dark eyes on her master. ' _Be careful. Not all memories are nice ones.'_

Something strange had started to happen. Rivulets of electricity were racing up and down the column of metal that held the helipad up. An orange-yellow glow had overtaken everything else, bathing them all in its glow. Tiny bubbles were starting to rise out of the surface, despite the Venom Swamp card still being in play. The substance, whatever it was, was churning around, melding together, gathering more and more form as the seconds ticked by. On the duel field, both opponents had collapsed to their knees, their Bio Bands glowing the same colour as the bubbles.

Slowly, the substance took shape, floating about the duel arena.

" _Rune of Collection!" _A high, clear voice said. Jaden and Viper's bands began to burn, the metal glowing red hot against their wrists. Jaden cried out in pain, but Viper was staring up at the symbol, his eyes feverish and face flushed.

" Pierce?" He called. " Pierce, is that you? Wait a little longer! I'm almost done here!"

And then there was a figure in front of the man. He was small and thin and unmistakably male. Spiky tufts of hair rose out of his head, and the shadows played across this skin in the glow from the symbol above. He was made of the same yellow-orange substance, not quite looking solid but not translucent either, not like the monster spirits that had gathered around their masters, shouting in worried voices. No, the boy was really there, that much, anyone could tell.

But what was really attention grabbing was the demonic looking hand and forearm he sported. It was the same colour as Viper mutated hand, but one the ends of the fingers curled wicked looking claws, golden in colour and sharp.

Viper smiled, a deranged, deluded smile, and reached out his hand.

" Pierce..." He whispered, so much happiness in his tone that it made Alexis feel sick.

" Hiya Dad!" That same clear voice spoke. Viper crawled forward.

" Pierce! You've come back! You've really come back!"

" 'Course I did! She promised, right?" Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. The thing had no mouth to talk, and no matter how human its shape, Alexis had had dealing with the inhuman before. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't Viper's son.

" You've come back to me." Viper's hand was just within touching range when the figure held up on finger on its demonic hand, waving it back and forth in a chiding motion.

" Uh-uh, Dad! She kept her end of the bargain, but _you _didn't keep _yours._ I don't see Jaden suffer~ring!"

Alexis' insides went cold at the sing-song tone. Viper pulled back, looking shocked.

" But...Pierce, the duel..."

" Nope." The hand suddenly lashed out and closed over Viper's face. " You're taking too long."

It began to squeeze. All around them, a white light was glowing, not like the Light from the previous year, but no less blinding. Jaden was shouting, maybe to them, or maybe to the thing that was slowly crushing Viper's head. The helipad was shaking, rocking back and forth like there was an earthquake. Something silver darted out and enclosed them in a bubble, holding them. Cyber Tutu, at her side, gasped.

' _This is...!'_

The light was all around them now blotting out Duel Academy and the tree below. There was a dull roar as her blood rushed in her ears, and Alexis tightened her grip on Lia. It was the only thing she had in the sea of confusion and fear around her. Up and down vanished. Left and right fell apart. The ocean was gone and the sky had ruptured, leaving only the white light slowly surrounding them. Jaden was still shouting, and she could hear the others making various sounds of distress. Jesse alone seemed to be shouting at Jaden, but Alexis couldn't make it out over the sound of her own heart beat.

As the brightness became over powering, Alexis squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Lia's hair. The last thing she heard before the world cracked open and oblivion took her was the dying scream of Thelonius Viper.

* * *

Confused yet?

Good. Get used to that feeling. I'm gonna keep it going for a good, long while. I intend to milk this for all it's worth before I reveal what the fuck is going on.

And finally, a little addition to Lia's storm dream. And the dream from first year that she had.

Well, I want to leave you all as 'WTF' faced as possible, so I think I'll take my leave here. See you tomorrow for the somber conclusion of the Viper Arc. Is this an arc? I think it's an arc. If I could turn the Abandoned Dorm episodes into an entire arc in Year One, I can do it here with Viper. So see you tomorrow!

Yubel: Yes, please come! We'll have a ton of fun!

Gah! When did you get here?!

Yubel: M-sie, I've been here the entire time.

OH GOD, I'm about to die, aren't I?

Yubel: Of course not, silly! That would be irresponsible! After all, _stories must have storytellers, and words must have wordsmiths._

...You scare me.

Yubel: I should.

MoS


	22. Burials

Warnings: ...This is not a happy chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Jim became aware of things slowly. The heat under his hands and against his cheek came first, followed by the protesting ache in his left forearm as he realized that it had fallen asleep. Pins and needles ran up it as the blood rushed back. His bandages were scratching his face something fierce, and his mouth felt dry. An overbearing warmth beat down on his back, and he raised his head, daring to open his one good eye.

He was lying on the helipad where he'd fallen. Shirley was at his side, a lump of warmth and reassurance. Alexis and Lia lay a little ways away, Syrus with them. Hassleberry and Chazz had collapsed together. Jesse was a little further away than them. And, though he had to lift his head up to do it, he could just make out Jaden's form as he lay where he'd been dueling. Beyond that, there was nothing. Jim raised his head a little more.

And felt his jaw drop.

All around them, stretching out for as long as the eye could see, was sand. At the horizon, the dunes met with a dark green sky, black clouds cutting through it. Strangest of all, a little above that horizon hung three bright balls of light, beating down on the pale sand. Jim tried to make his brain work as he took in their new surroundings.

' Looks loike summin' outta a scoience fiction story.'

He pushed himself to his feet, and staggered slightly. He was still a little lightheaded from what had happened, although he could barely comprehend it. One minute, Jaden had been dueling, the next, there'd been that orange glow followed by the white light, and then there was darkness. He took several steps forward, trying to regain his equilibrium. It didn't help that the helipad seemed to be tilting more to one side than the other. He had to put his arms out to retain his balance. As he took a few, cautious steps, the others began to stir around him.

" Hmmm...what?" Alexis sat up. A moment later she grabbed her head and winced. " Owch!"

Jim winced with her. From the way she'd been lying, he'd wager to guess that she'd banged her head when she fell. The girl threw a look around them, just as bewildered as him.

" Where _are_ we?" She asked. Jim made his way to her. Alexis tried to sit up more, but was weighed down by the girl in her arms. Abruptly remembering her, Alexis started to shake Lia.

" Lia? Sweetie? C'mon now, wake up. Please wake up."

For a moment, it looked like she wasn't going to, and Jim's heart sank. They were stranded in an alien world with no idea what was going on. Jaden was going to be drained from the Bio Band once he woke up, and they didn't need any more people hurt or unconscious. Luckily, Lia gave a whimper and scrunched up her face, sure signs of waking.

" Lia?" Alexis said softly. The girl opened her hazel eyes, and then blinked in the harsh glare of the triple suns. She squinted, looking up at her friend.

" ...What happened?"

Alexis hauled her into a hug, squeezing her tight even as she protested.

" Whoa, Lexi!"

" Shut up and accept my affection!" The other girl insisted, and squeezed her once last time before letting. Lia fell back, gasping.

" Jesus, did I go into a coma or something?"

" We thought you moight." Jim knelt down to get a good look at her. She was sweaty and pale, her face a little strained, but other than that, just fine. He nodded.

" What?" She asked, suspicious. He laughed, shook his head, and ruffled her hair again. She shoved his hands away. " Stop doing that! You're messing up my hair!"

" The wind'll do that, Kitty-Cat. Now then." He stood up a second time. Chazz, Syrus, and Hassleberry had shakily gotten to their feet. Jesse was trying to rouse Jaden, who was still out cold. Jim looked around again, Shirley lumbering to his side.

" Anybody know where we are?"

" Uh, when did we get to Tatooine?" Lia asked, rubbing her eyes to make sure that what she was seeing was real.

" I call dibs on any light sabers we may find." Syrus joked weakly as he and Hassleberry came up. Chazz had gone over to help Jesse get Jaden to wake up. He was nudging Jaden none too gently with his foot and shouting at him loud enough to cause an echo. Jesse was trying to do damage control by shoving Chazz away, but the older boy was having far too much fun.

"Oh, for the love of god..." Lia muttered, standing up. She immediately went tumbling into Jim.

" Easy there, Sheila."

Lia glared down at the tilted surface of the helipad.

" There's an ocean of sand, three suns, and the thing we're standing on is five seconds away from falling over like the Leaning Tower of Piza should have done decades ago. _Yeah. This_ is what I wanted to wake up."

" Good t' see ya in betta spirits!" Jim said happily, putting her back on her feet. Lia rolled her eyes, and staggered over to where Chazz had upgrading his threats from severe bodily harm to death. Jesse was not impressed. Jim glanced back at where Hassleberry was scanning the landscape for anything familiar, and the two other members of the group had fallen into a hushed conversation.

" What _is_ this place?" Syrus asked, staring at the sky.

" Dunno." Alexis shrugged. " But...doesn't it kinda feel...?"

" What?"

" I dunno." She looked at him through her lashes. " ...Are you getting a sense of déjà vu?"

Syrus paused. He looked out over the sand dunes, face scrunched up in a puzzled frown.

" Well, now that you mention it..." He looked around. " This place does feel kinda..."

" Familiar?" She offered. Syrus nodded. " Yeah, that's what I thought."

" Not like, right off the bat, but..."

" The more I look at it, the more it seems like I've been here before."

" Something about those suns..." Syrus mused, crossing him arms and looking up at them.

" Yeah, that's it." Alexis agreed, mirroring his posture. They stood there for a few moments, contemplating the suns as they blazed in the green sky. Jim considered going over and getting them, but they seemed so lost in thought that he didn't dare interrupt. If they could remember why the desert seemed so familiar, then the rest of them might have a shot at figuring out where they were and how they got there.

And maybe, a way back.

" Holy Hell!" Jim turned to look as Hassleberry hissed. He was pointing off to the left of the helipad, his jaw open. Rising up out of the sand, its multi-colour roofs gleaming in the sunlight, was Duel Academy.

" You're kidding me!" Alexis made her way over to Hassleberry. Syrus followed her.

" Duel Academy too?"

Jim walked towards them, staring at the school like he couldn't quite believe. Well, at least they wouldn't have to look far for shelter, which was a relief.

" Looks loike whateva took us 'ere didn't stop at the 'elipad, mates." The other three watched him approach. He opened his mouth to say more, but a scream cut through the air.

They all turned, tense and ready for a fight.

Lia was standing a little in front of the group consisting of Jaden, Jesse and Chazz. The black Slifer and the exchange student had managed to get Jaden up, his arms looped around their shoulders. His eyes were open, but they were clouded over and his head kept lolling against his chest. He looked out of it. Lia was in front of him, one hand slapped over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror. Her other arm was extended, pointing to something across from her. Jim followed the line of the pointer finger, wondering what had set her off.

He was nearly sick.

Professor Thelonius Viper lay face down on his side of the duelling area. Jim supposed he was thankful for that, because the amount of blood that was pooling out from where his head lay promised that whatever had happened to his face, it wasn't a pretty picture. As it was, Jim could make out faint impressions along his skull of where the fingers had pressed down, and the skin and bone had yielded. He didn't look too hard, though. His stomach was already threatening to empty itself. Just to the side of him, Alexis and Syrus dropped to their knees, Alexis' eyes shut as tight as they would go and her head turned away, and Syrus looking green, a hand over his mouth to keep himself from throwing up. Jim turned back and noticed that Lia, despite the paleness of her skin, hadn't looked away. The way her eyes were horrified but transfixed said she wanted to, but simply couldn't bring herself to do it. Her chest was starting to heave, sweat dripping down the side of her face, and Jim saw the first signs of a panic attack.

He darted forward.

Covering her eyes with his hand, he pulled her to his chest, making sure that her face was buried in it. As the eye contact with the corpse broke, Lia gave a shuddering cry and fell into him, sobbing. He rubbed her back soothingly, and made a half-turn so that even if she looked up, the sight would be blocked by his body.

" We should cover that up, 'til we figure out wha' t'do with 'im." He said seriously. Chazz and Jesse were white.

" D...Do we..._bury_ him?" Jesse asked shakily. Jim gave him a leveled look. He was breathing a little heavier than he had been, and he was white as a sheet, but he didn't look like he was about to lose it. Beside him, Chazz was taking several large gulps of air.

" Fuck." The other boy breathed. Then he paused, and searched for something else to say. " ...Fuck."

" Let's just settle on coverin' 'im up for now, yeah?" Jim threw an eye around for something to use. " Lia, love?" He rubbed her shoulder with his hand. Without looking up, she nodded into his chest to show that she was listening. " It alroight if Oi use y'r jacket? Ain't much else 'round 'ere, love."

There was a pause, and then Lia nodded again. With shaky hands, she reached down to try and untie the Ra Yellow jacket at her waist, but her fingers trembled and she couldn't seem to get a good grip on the knot. She let out a desperate sound and started tugging at the sleeves, trying to rip the jacket off with force alone. Jim put a hand over hers, stopping the motions.

" Oi got it, Kitty-Cat. Don't go throwin' a wobbly. Don't you worry a 'air on that pretty 'ead of yours, alroight? You just trust ol' Jim now, love." Very carefully, he pulled the knot loose and slipped the yellow jacket off of her waist. He held it in one hand, the other arm still wrapped around her.

" Now, Oi'm gonna go put this on 'im, alroight? You cover up y'r eyes an' don't you take a peek, not for anything', we clear?"

She nodded again.

" Alroight then."

Jim carefully pulled his arm off of her and took a step back. Lia's hands flew up to her face and covered her eyes. Though it was muffled, he thought that he could hear her saying something. He couldn't understand it, but the rhythm and tone made him think of the Lord's Prayer. When he was sure that her eyes were covered tight, he took a step towards the body.

" You poor bastard." He muttered, wrinkling his nose. " That's a dinkum shithouse way t' go."

It was even worse now that he was closer. There were dents in the man's head from where the fingers had pressed down, and, though Jim didn't dare look too attentively, under the blood that was starting to congeal was the sharp, flashing white of bone, and what was underneath that, Jim didn't want to think about. He crept and inch closer, and tossed the jacket. It landed over Viper's head like a cheerfully-coloured shroud, though Jim felt his stomach turn as the fabric soaked up the blood pooling around the dead man's head, staining it forever.

He quickly turned away.

" Should be alroight t' look now, mates." He called, putting hand on his stomach to try and settle it. Shirley leaned against his legs, sensing his distress. He smiled at her gratefully, his stomach still protesting to the sight that was behind him. He tried to shake the image, but it was burned into his head. To try and distract himself, he looked around at the others, silently assessing their mental states.

Over with the other group, Alexis was facing away and Syrus had his head in his hands. Hassleberry was determinedly looking at the sky, his mouth moving as he recited, softly, what Jim definitely recognized as the Lord's Prayer. As he turned back around, he saw that neither Jesse nor Chazz had looked away, staring at Viper with thankfully less fascination. Jim looked between them.

Like a punch to the gut, he realized that Jaden's eyes had unclouded, and he was staring at where his former opponent lay, an unreadable expression on his face. Abruptly, he shoved Jesse and Chazz off, despite their startled protests. Wobbling, he stumbling forward, almost falling into Jim, who made to stop him. One look from those dark brown eyes made him back off, however. Jaden stopped at a point just in front of Viper, and stared for a moment, swaying where he stood. The entire group, even Lia, who hadn't taken her hands off of her eyes, fell silent, holding their breaths.

Then, without preamble, Jaden bent low at the waist, keeping his arms straight at his sides.

"Sayonara, Vaipa-san." He said softly. He held the pose for a moment, then righted himself. As he stumbled back, Jesse and Syrus, from the other side of the helipad, rushed forward to steady him. Jim nodded at the respectful display, and made his way back to Lia. He put a hand on her head, for once not ruffling her curls but petting them.

" Lia, love. S'okay t' look now."

Slowly, the girl raised a tear-stained face. She kept her eyes on him, and didn't even glance over to her left.

" Is it...over?" She croaked. Jim nodded.

" We still gotta bury him."

Jim looked up. Hassleberry was staring at the body, his face stony.

" 'assleberry..." Jim said slowly, but the boy turned a pair of hard eyes on him.

" We can't just leave 'im out here for the scavengers. It ain't rahght."

" We don't even know if there _are_ any scavengers." Chazz snapped. Hassleberry started to growl low in his throat.

" It still ain't rahght ta just _leave_ him here!"

" No one sayin' we do that, mate." Jim stepped in, trying to diffuse the situation. Alexis had gotten to her feet and was walking over to Lia, pale but in control.

" We need ta bury him."

" What we _need _to do is get moving!" Chazz pointed over Hassleberry's shoulder. " The school's right over there. We can get inside, and then maybe we'll talk about..." He gulped. " ...About..._burying _Viper."

Jim nodded in agreement.

" Chazz's got a point, mate. It's as dry as a dead dingo's donger out 'ere', and those suns are just gettin' worse. We need t' get insoide."

Hassleberry started growling in earnest, which set Shirley off.

" We can't just _leave him! _We _can't!_"

" Listen to what you're asking, Dingleberry! We don't have time to-"

" He's right."

They all whipped around. Lia was very pale, and her eyes were huge in the face, but she was staring at the body with a desperate expression.

" He's right." She repeated. " We can't just leave there, not like this. We need to bury him, we can't...we can't just..._like animals_..." Her voice broke on the last words. Bringing a hand up, she frantically wiped the tears from her eyes, taking several large gulps of air as she tried to steady herself. She took a trembling step forward.

" I'll help you, Hassleberry." A shaking hand reached out. " I'll help."

" You stay right where you are!" Chazz snapped, glaring. He marched over and grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. " You're dead on your feet, and you can _barely_ stand! Sit down before you hurt yourself, because if that happens, you'll just be more trouble than you already are!"

He stormed over to Hassleberry.

" Let's get this fucker buried and get inside. If you take too long, I'm saying fuck it, and I'm leaving."

Hassleberry nodded.

" Thank you."

" Fuck off." Was the only response.

* * *

It took some doing.

First, they had to find a way to tie the sleeves of Lia's ruined jacket around Viper's head so that his face wouldn't show when they lifted him. None of them wanted to see what the strange glowing figure had done, the blood and the memory of his final scream being more than enough to convince them.

Hassleberry, who knew a wide variety of knots, managed to rig something up. Lia's jacket was stained beyond any hope of recovery, but Jim knew that there was no way she'd have taken it back even if it had been spotless. She'd just have to buy a new one when (not if, _when_) they got back to Duel Academy. For the time being, Syrus had draped his over her thin shoulders because despite the heat of the day, she'd been shivering. Jesse was too, for that matter, but he was too prideful to admit it.

After securing the jacket, there came the task of figuring out how to get Viper down. Chazz had suggested they simply toss him off the edge of the helipad and then find their own way down. When his suggestion was met with blank stares, he'd angrily pointed out that the man was dead and therefore, couldn't feel anything anyway. When that statement was met with glares, he'd snarled that they were already burying him, which was more than should be expected of them, and so they should get it over with quickly so that they could hurry into the school. As no one really had any come back that didn't boil down to 'it seems rude', they'd agreed.

Viper was a large man, and so it took several people to lift him. Hassleberry had volunteered immediately, with Jim next and, surprisingly, Alexis, who Jim discovered had stores of strength built up over years of wrestling with her brother and her rambunctious cousins. They'd heaved and strained, finally lifting Viper up off the surface of the helipad. Scuttling towards the edge, they'd dropped him off of it, wincing as he fell to the sand below in and undignified heap.

They themselves had managed to find a large dune to catch them when they came down, and so, in two's and threes, had jumped down. First Jaden, with Jesse and Syrus supporting him, followed by Alexis and Lia. Chazz had gone by himself, and Syrus had jumped with Hassleberry. Jim was the last to go, strapping Shirley in on his back for the ride. The sand gave under him as he landed, and he rolled several times before managing to stop. There was sand in his clothes and it was sticking to his skin, but he was otherwise unharmed, for which he was thankful.

Somberly, like a proper funeral crowd, they made their way to where Viper had fallen.

The sand had done half their work for them. The impact, instead of making him roll, and lodged the lower half of the man's body in the sand, making him lie at an awkward angle. They'd all stood, unsure of what to do. It was Hassleberry who moved first, gathering up sand in his cupped hands, despite the heat of it, and throwing it on Viper. Alexis followed suit, then Chazz, then Syrus and Jim, Lia hanging back and Jaden too weak to help, leaning all of his weight on Jesse.

It was slow going, but eventually, they managed to cover the body entirely in sand. By the time they were done, the suns had climbed to their peak in the sky, and were slowly beginning a decent towards the other horizon. The buriers stood back, dusting their hands, trying to get all the sand off. An uncomfortable silence settled over them. With the body buried and their task complete, no one knew what to do next. They had no idea of what to say, even though it felt like there should be a few words said over the grave, unmarked and invisible as it was.

" Someone should say something." Lia whispered. Syrus nodded, but didn't open his mouth. Alexis shuffled her feet awkwardly. Finally, after another long moment of silence in which Jim was ready to suggest that they forgo parting words and just head inside, Jaden spoke up.

" Alright." He pushed off of Jesse. He was still wobbly, his strength not yet returned. But he stood proud and tall in spite of his shaking legs, at the foot of where Viper lay covered in sand.

" I don't know you, not at all." He began. " I knew only the bad things, the things you did this year, but that can't be all of who you are. That would be impossible. Nobody's all bad, all the time. There must've been something else in you. Maybe it wasn't good, and maybe it wasn't something anyone else would understand, but it had to be there.

" My mother said you were a good man. That you were good with kids. My parents considered sending me to learn from you, and they don't entrust me to just anyone. 'Kaa-san said you were the kind of man who was strict, and made you learn the lesson, but that you were only like that because you cared. She said you were the sort of person she'd trust, and 'Kaa-san is hard to win over.

" I'm truly sorry for your loss. Mom told me about what happened to your team, and how the only reason you lived was because Pierce was there. I can only imagine how much he must have meant to you, and how much it must have hurt to lose him. I'm sorry he died. With all my heart, I'm sorry.

" It's a pity it had to come to this. I think that if we'd met under better circumstances, I'd have liked you very much. 'Kaa-san said losing Pierce destroyed you, and I think that's true. You sound like you were a very different man before that tragedy, and I think you were the sort of man I'd admire. I don't really understand grief, but I've heard that it's a powerful, painful thing. If it managed to change a man as strong as you were, I can believe it.

" I'm sorry it had to end like this, but, wherever you are, please take solace in the fact that you went down fighting. It was an amazing duel you gave me, and I thank you for fighting me with such conviction and heart. It was an honour to be your opponent.

" Wherever you are right now, I hope you're with Pierce. I hope the two of you were truly reunited, and that you are existing in a world where you will never have to be apart ever again."

Jaden bowed low again, his back straight and his eyes never leaving the sand.

" Rest in peace, Thelonius Viper."

Jaden turned away, hobbling back towards them. If he noticed the tears in Alexis' eyes or the ones glittering in Syrus' and Hassleberry's, he said nothing. He nodded towards the school and, as they were wont to do, the group began to follow his commands without question.

Above them, the suns crawled towards the group's first sunset in the desolate, alien world.

* * *

Welcome to Desert World! Or as I like to call it...Dusty Hell! *smiles hugely*

Seriously people, this is one of the things I was talking about when I mentioned how I needed some violence and gore to set the tone of the story. Desert World is not going to be a fun little romp. It wasn't in the original, but it was a helluva lot more lighthearted than this. Here? No. This won't be fun people. There can be moments of humour, but they will come off as uncomfortable and as people holding onto the last threads of their sanity and hope. If Dark World is where everything breaks, then this is where everything cracks. This is not going to be easy. It wasn't easy for me to write, in some parts. I don't think it will be easy to read.

And the violence, Viper's corpse and the implications of what Yubel did to him...those are what I meant by mood violence. I need it to set the tone of the arc. Desert World is going to put our heroes through hell. It is where the cracks that eventually lead to everything falling apart in Dark World start to show. I need you all to know how bad this is going to be right off the bat, and I needed the violence and gore to do that. I hope that I managed to keep it tasteful. This is was never meant to be 'violence for violence's sake'. It's not even just shock factor. I was hoping that, by putting in Viper's corpse and the funeral scene, I'd be forced to make you think a little, about power, about love, and about how sometimes, life isn't fair.

I think that's what all authors what to do, at some points. They want to make their audiences think about what they're reading, even if it means hurting them. One reviewer expressed the hope that Viper wouldn't die, because he deserved better. Yes, he did. Viper deserved much better than what happened to him, but it can't be changed. This is one of those losses. His story doesn't have a happy ending. Sometimes, stories don't. But Jaden and Slacker Club are still alive, and while they're scared, and hurt, and unsure at the moment, they're still fighting.

And I think that means something.

Today's chapter is somber, and dark, and it sets the tone for the rest of the time spent in Desert World. Secrets will come out. People will be tested. Hearts will break, and mark my words, this is going to _hurt_.

So strap in, my beloved readers, and have some comfort food at the ready. It's not gonna get better for a good, long while.

Welcome to Desert World.

MoS


	23. Wounds

Warnings: This isn't happy chapter either. It's happier than yesterday, but that's not saying much, is it?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

It became apparent, as they made their way into the main building of the school (the only one that seemed to have come along with them), that their environment was more hostile than they'd originally thought. Not that any of them had made the mistake of thinking that they were on a daytrip to the beach. They were all on high alert, shuffling forward, their eyes trained everywhere, fearful of what they might see.

They were a somber group. The burying of Viper and Jaden's subsequent eulogy had left them all emotionally drained. The duel beforehand and the trip through the simulated jungle had already had their nerves strained, and so they were silent as they slowly trekked over the sand. Jaden and Lia were the worst, Jaden still half dependent on Jesse and Syrus to be able to move forward, and Lia a shaking wreck, though her eyes had finally dried. She was sandwiched between Alexis and Jim, her fear of Shirley finally overridden. She stared listlessly ahead, looking at Duel Academy without actually seeing it.

" I've never seen a body so fresh." Was all she said when asked. Then she shut her mouth tight and refused to talk. Jim kept a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently.

As they made their way towards the front entrance, two figures came into view, dark against the pale colour of the sands.

" Is that..." Syrus asked. Beside him, Chazz nodded.

" Crowler and Bonaparte." He said, looking at the tall figure in blue and short, stocky figure in green.

As they neared them, the two adults began hurrying over. The group winced as the sounds of Crowler's high-pitched voice met their ears.

" _There_ you all are! You disappeared earlier, we were wondering where you'd gotten to."

" Where did you go?!" Bonaparte snapped. " It was very rude of you to wander off without telling anyone!"

For the most part, they glared at the two. After all, they were teenagers and Crowler and Bonaparte were adults. But it seemed that adults never did anything, not in the world they'd grown up in. It fell to them, the not-adults, not-children, to bear the weight. So they resented the light scolding.

" We went after Viper." Jaden said wearily. He was still very groggy, his head sagging against his chest. Crowler took in the sight of him, lips pressed together in a thin line. He looked a little concerned. It was a testament to Jaden's innate charisma and charm that he could make even Crowler, how was notorious for his Slifer-hatred, be worried about him.

" Really?" Bonaparte looked behind them, looking as though he expected to see Viper standing there, hand cuffed and in custody. " Where is he?"

As one, the group flinched. Everyone looked down at their feet, unwilling to meet the two sets of curious eyes that were fixed on them. Crowler and Bonaparte blinked, mildly concerned by the display. Finally, when it was obvious that no one else was going to answer, Chazz spoke up.

" He didn't make it." He said gruffly. Bonaparte furrowed his brow in confusion.

" You mean he didn't get taken along with us? Well then, where is he? Is he back at Duel Academy or-"

" No." Chazz cut the portly man off. His black bangs fell into his eyes, shielding them from view. When he spoke next, it was in a hard, deliberate tone, emphasizing the words. " H didn't _make it_."

" Oh." Bonaparte said, still confused. Then his eyes widened. " _Oh._"

" What?" Crowler leaned forward. " I don't get it, what hap-"

" Crowler." Bonaparte fixed his colleague with a stern look. " Viper _didn't make it._"

" I-_Oh._" Crowler's hand flew up to cover his mouth. " Oh-Oh Lord. Oh my goodness." He turned to look at the sullen, silent group. " Did...Did you children...did you _see_-"

" We can explain everythin' once we get insoide, yeah?" Jim gestured towards the rest of them, making sure to keep a hand on Lia.

Crowler nodded enthusiastically, his usual animosity melting away as he motioned towards the door.

" Yes, yes, of course. That's a good plan. You all look dead on your feet. You'd best get inside. I think Miss Fontaine is in the nurse's office, she went back for something, I think..."

They started shuffling forward. Bonaparte and Crowler took up the rear, babbling about things that didn't really matter. Jim felt Lia press closer to his side, while he and Alexis shared a look over the girl's brown head. The sooner they got Lia and Jaden inside and out of the hot sun, the better. They were both starting to fade, Jaden looking like he was ready to drop where he was, and Lia still too pale for anyone's liking.

" Good Lord, what is _that?_"

Alexis and Jim whipped around. Crowler was a little ways away from them and pointing at the sky. His finger shook. A black dot was steadily growing larger and larger against the green around it. A grating, screeching cry echoed. The sound of flapping wings met their ears.

" Mary Mother of Chroist!" Jim shouted.

Baring down on them, a wicked look in her eyes and her extended talons gleaming in the light, was a Harpy Lady.

It took several seconds for the image of register.

" What?" Syrus said weakly.

" _What?_" Chazz echoed, his jaw hanging open at the sight of the monster.

" ..._What._" Lia said, utterly deadpanned and looking like her brain had stopped working for a few seconds. Crowler and Bonaparte ignored the varying degrees of disbelief playing across their students' faces and started running, insisting along the way that the others make for the door as well.

" Hurry up! She looks hungry!" Crowler warned. He jumped, throwing himself forward, as the monster shot downwards. He managed to dodge the grab she made, and her talons just barely clipped the ends of his blue jacket. He shrieked in fear and ran faster. Behind him, Harpy Lady turned her ravenous gaze on the students.

" Oh, that's not good." Alexis said with a gulp. She took a half step back, trying to pull Lia with her. Jim shifted until he was standing between the monster and the girls, glaring. At his side, Shirley began to growl low in her throat. The Harpy Lady did the same, pulling her lips back to reveal a set of sharp fangs. Jaden stepped away his escorts, grabbing a hold of one of the rocks that usually lined the marble path towards the school for balance. He was clearly fighting to stay upright, and a thin trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face. Syrus placed himself firmly in front of the Slifer, eyes narrowed. Hassleberry moved to stand with Jim.

" Ya reckon we can reason with it...her...it?" He fumbled over the pronouns.

" Dunno mate." Jim cleared his throat. " But anythin' worth a shot roight now."

The dark-skinned Ra nodded. In the background, Chazz rolled his eyes at the two of them and started looking for somewhere they could all take cover from the monster. She was, after all, standing directly between them and their best option.

Hassleberry took a deep breath.

" We don't want any trouble, ma'am." He said. The Harpy Lady turned to look at him, blinking at the words. He took that as an encouragement. " We just wanna get to our school, okay?" He took a slow step forward. For a moment, the monster seemed to consider the words, though no one could tell if she understood them or not. Maybe she was reading Hassleberry's attempt at the calm tone. But then her face darkened and her wings spread out, and she looked at Hassleberry with no friendly light in her eyes.

" Hassleberry, _move!_"

And then the boy was moving, though not by any conscious action of his own. Syrus had darted forward and shoved the other boy away, getting him out of the path of the Harpy Lady. Unfortunately, Syrus was not that quick, and he'd placed himself where Hassleberry had been standing. Faster than a flash of lightning, the Harpy Lady descended upon _him_, pinning the blue-haired boy to the ground with her weight and holding him with her talons.

" Syrus!" Jaden screamed, his face alight with panic. He tried to run forward, but a sudden storm of dizziness brought him to his knees, one hand grabbing his aching head. Jesse caught him before he went over completely, staring in fear at where Syrus was pinned.

" Getoffame!" Syrus flailed one of his arm uselessly, as the Harpy Lady had his other one held against that sand in a vice like grip. Just as she spread her wings and started to flap, kicking sand up into the eyes of those trying to get to Syrus, there was a low roar. Something green slammed into the monster and she let out a mighty screech in response. While not knocked off of Syrus entirely, her grip loosened, and Syrus managed to wriggle his other arm free.

Shirley, who'd grabbed a hold of the monster, pulled back, her mouth full of feathers. The Harpy Lady was screaming and crying, one of her wings torn and bleeding where Shirley's fangs had gotten a grip. Syrus clambered to his feet, swayed for a moment, and then pulled back a fist. With a shout, he rammed it into the Harpy Lady's face. There was a crunch as it connected, and the monster fell back, still screaming something awful. She slapped the one hand that wasn't attached to a bleeding arm over her face.

Syrus followed her, cursing under his breath and delivered another punch.

To her exposed throat.

She fell back even more against the stones along where the pathway should have been. Shirley growled low, fangs snapping in warning. Syrus panted, but didn't let up, shuffling forward as the adrenaline pumping through his system made him reckless and stupid. Harpy Lady, seeing his staggered approached, narrowed her eyes.

Her arm suddenly shot out, and Syrus fell to his knees, clutching his side. Blood blossomed through his fingers.

There was a flash from where Jaden was trying to push himself up despite the fact that the world was swimming in front of him. His deck, still lodged in his duel disk, pulsed once, and then a blur of brown shot away from the group. Winged Kuriboh attached itself to Harpy Lady's face, scratching and hissing in anger. The larger monster threw her uninjured arm out blindly, her vision lost behind a curtain of brown fur and tiny, but vicious claws.

" Sahrus!" Hassleberry had finally gotten back up, and was hauling Syrus to his feet. He pulled the other boy away, Syrus still holding his side and breathing hard. The Harpy Lady finally managed to knock Winged Kuriboh away, and she raised her uninjured hand, ready to strike.

" No!" Jaden cried, shoving Jesse away and trying to run. His deck pulsed again. Beside him, Jesse's, Chazz's, and Alexis' all did the same. The next moment, Topaz Tiger was forcing Harpy Lady into the sand, his teeth poised above her throat. Cyber Tutu gathered the shaken Winged Kuriboh into her arms and stepped back, the Ojama Brothers circling her and talking quietly to the furball. And standing over the downed Harpy Lady, a red ball of fire shining in her hand, was Burstinatrix.

" _You want to stop."_ She said in a cold, firm voice. The other female monster hissed, trying to struggle. Topaz pressed down harder. " _If you don't, you're kitty food, you got that?"_

Harpy Lady stopped moving, her eyes wide. Burstinatrix smirked.

" _That's what I thought._"

Cyber Tutu huffed and glared before carrying Winged Kuriboh over to a shocked Jaden. She deposited the smaller monster carefully into the boy's arms, and then danced off towards Alexis, who was trying to reattach her jaw to the upper part of her face. The Ojamas had already made themselves comfortable on Chazz's shoulders, though he was gaping at them.

Topaz snarled down at the Harpy Lady and then, in one swift motion, cuffed her across the head, knocking her out. He sat back on his haunches.

" _We'd better move."_ Was all he said. Burstinatrix nodded.

" _You've got a point_." She turned to the humans that were watching the goings-on, jaws hanging open. " _Listen up! Harpies travel in flocks and you can bet her sisters will be here soon! And when they see what's happened to her, they'll be out for blood, no two ways about it! Get inside and lock the doors, got it?"_

" Jay?" Jesse said weakly.

" Ya-huh?" The boy answered, equally as weak.

" Yo' Burstinatrix's givin' us orders."

" Ya-huh."

" In front o' everehbody."

" Yup."

" And they can all see her."

" Seems so."

" Jaden?"

" Yes, Jess?"

" ...What th' hell's going on?"

" No idea."

" Oh good. Just wanted to make sure we were on th' same page."

Alexis looked at Cyber Tutu, who'd latched onto her arm and was dragging her forward.

" Uh, maybe we should listen to..." She gulped. " Burstinatrix. She seems to know...what's what."

The monster smirked at her.

" _Smart girl. I knew there was a reason I liked her. Keep her around, Jaden._"

Jaden smiled a little while Alexis blushed at the praise.

"I'll try." He promised. He walked forward a step or two, but the dizziness struck again and he pitched towards the ground. Jesse moved to catch him, but, faster than any of them could follow, Burstinatrix was there, holding him in her arms.

" _Easy there. You've had a rough day._" She looked sternly at Jesse, who shrunk under the intense look. " _Get him inside and make him rest._"

Jesse just stared, too awestruck by the monster really, physically talking to him, inside of a voice echoing through his mind. Her eyes narrowed.

" _Got it?_"

" Yes ma'am!" Jesse quickly scooped Jaden up out of her arms, and made for the entrance. Topaz Tiger had already retreated back into the deck, no doubt to tell the other Crystal Beasts what had happened. The other humans followed suit, and Burstinatrix lingered just until they'd managed to get in the doors of Duel Academy. Then she smirked, winked, and popped out of existence in a flash of red. Jaden's deck pulsed again, but no one noticed.

Neither did they notice they way Lia was looking at the deck, her eyes foggy. Blood dripped down the fingers she had twisting in her shirt. Caught up in them, slowly being stained red, was the chain of her necklace.

* * *

Miss Fontaine was at the end of her rope.

" _Honestly!_" She shouted as she bustled around. Syrus was the first order of business of course, and he was sitting, bare-chested, on an examination table. Miss Fontaine was running around, gathering up medical supplies. Jim had sat himself down on a chair and was starting to look like neither hell nor high water would be able to move him from it. Shirley was lying at his feet. Hassleberry had made himself comfortable on the floor at the foot of Syrus's bed, and Chazz was hovering nearby, worried but trying to look nonchalant.

Alexis was sitting by a window, Cyber Tutu bent over her shoulder and whispering things in her ear. Soft whirrs and hums could be heard, but no one besides Alexis seemed to be able to make sense of them. Jesse, much like Hassleberry, had simply fallen down to the floor in a heap once his load had been unburdened. Jaden was drifting in an out of consciousness on one of the few unoccupied beds, dozing. Lia sat by his feet, Jim and Alexis having insisted that she sit down. Curiously enough, Winged Kuriboh, after giving Jaden an affectionate nuzzle and making sure its master was okay, had floated over to her. It had greeted the startled girl with a coo, given her the most adorable headbutt, and then settled itself on the crown of her head, ready to sleep. Occasionally, the others would glance over and catch her reaching up to pat the monster atop her head, almost as if reassuring herself that it was really there, and not a hallucination brought on by stress.

Miss Fontaine began to clean the cut. Syrus hissed at the sting.

" Oh now, don't you dare start whining. I swear, the amount of stress you kids put me through is worse than what I was going through when I was in the middle of getting my degree!" She reached for another bundle of cotton. " If it isn't vampires, it's comas. If it isn't comas, it's mysterious burns. If it's not mysterious burns, then it's bleeding cuts to the side that you're lucky aren't more dangerous than they are! I swear, some days I think you do these sorts of things _on purpose!_"

Jim and Jesse shared a look.

" Vampahres?" Jesse asked incredulously.

" Shadow Riders." Alexis clarified from her spot by the window. Jim raised a brow at her.

" Shadow Roiders?"

" Group of –ow- guys who wanted to use the-ouch, that stings!- the Sacred Beast cards to-yeowch!- do the usual." Syrus explained, though it was broken up by exclamations of pain and hissing.

" Th' usual?" Jim leaned back in his chair.

" Yeah, the usual. Take over the world, blah, blah, blah." Chazz rolled his eyes from across the room. He was doing a supremely good job of ignoring the yammering Ojama Brothers, who hadn't stopped talking since they'd shown up.

" Sounds loike that koinda thin' 'appens a lot around 'ere."

And despite himself, Jesse gave him friend a wry look.

" Ya shoulda been here _last_ year. 'Course, this here ain't 'xactly a peaceful vacation."

Miss Fontaine had finished wrapping Syrus up, and was moving to where Jaden lay sleeping.

" Get him up, I need to check his vitals." She said brusquely, clearly in no mood to be argued with.

" But-" Jesse tried to protest. After all, the other boy had just managed to fall asleep. He shut up rather quickly when Miss Fontaine leveled him with a dark look. It was all too obvious that the survival duels and the effects of the Bio Bands had taken their toll on her too, though she wasn't wearing one. She'd been run ragged trying to help the exhausted students.

She moved around him, and snapped her fingers in front of Jaden's face.

" Jaden, wake up." The boy didn't stir. Syrus, who was in the middle of putting his shirt back on, looked over.

" Good luck, Miss Fontaine. Once Aniki conks out, he's _gone._"

" I know the feeling." Alexis muttered. She tried to catch Lia's eye, to remind her of the first day of her visit to France, but Lia had pulled her knees up to her chest and was resting her chin on them, staring at her shoes. She didn't even notice when Shirley passed through her line of vision, which was saying something.

Miss Fontaine huffed.

" That's just not good enough! I need him up! Who knows that last duel did to him?"

" Well, he's been staggerin' 'round lahke he was drunk o' sumthahn'." Jesse offered meekly. His accent thickened a little as he spoke.

" The Slacker's always been a lazy-ass, but he's never been like that." Chazz piped up from across the room. The Ojamas jumped to chime in.

" Yeah, Jaden really likes sleeping." Ojama Yellow insisted.

" But he doesn't do it as much as he'd like." Ojama Green added, his tongue wiggling from side to side.

" Poor kid." Ojama Black shook his head sadly. Around the room, the others looked up at the monsters, Miss Fontaine being too busy trying to rouse Jaden, who was resisting her at every turn.

" The Sarge ain't sleepin' rahght?"

Ojama Yellow looked from side to side suspiciously. Then he jumped down off of Chazz's shoulder to land on Hassleberry's. He was surprisingly agile.

" I heard it through the grapevine." He said in a conspiratorial tone. " Clayman has this knitting club we like to drop in on ever so often, and Wildheart and Flare Scarab are _huge _gossips. Apparently, Jaden's been having bad dreams."

" Real bad dreams." Green embellished.

" Wake up in a cold sweat bad dreams." Black insisted.

" Jaden!" Miss Fontaine's voice rose before any of them could begin to process the information they'd just been given. The head nurse had resorted to trying to shake the boy awake but to no avail. Jaden slept on, his expression one of someone who wasn't having peaceful dreams.

" It's no use." She pulled back. " He's completely dead. And unless I can get him to wake up, I can't figure out how grave his condition might be."

" Grave?" Syrus said softly in the silence that followed. The other's turned to him, Alexis in particular. She was frowning. " Grave..."

Suddenly, as though a gunshot had gone off, Syrus leapt to his feet and ran to the window where Alexis was. Ignoring Miss Fontaine's shouts for him to stop before he aggravated his wounds, Syrus scrambled up to the sill and yanked the curtains back. Outside, the three suns were sinking into the horizon and the sky was starting to go black, but Syrus still stared intently out into the barren landscape.

" Syrus, what is it?" Alexis prompted, looking upset. " Syrus, w_hat_?"

" The Gravekeepers." He whispered, and Alexis went still. Syrus turned to look at her.

" Lexi, I know where we are. We've been here before. In first year, remember? We-"

" The ruins." Alexis whispered, turning to look out the window with him. In the room behind them, their friends exchanged looks of confusion.

" Future Girl, what're you on 'bout?" Jim asked. Alexis glanced over her shoulder, her eyes hard.

" Syrus and I have been to this world before. So has Jaden. Our last trip nearly killed us."

She stared out the window as the last streak of light vanished behind the sands in the distance.

" This is the world of the Gravekeepers."

* * *

Well, we continue on from yesterday's painful chapter to one that is only slightly less upsetting. I told you that Desert World was going to hurt, didn't I? This won't be fun. And now Syrus is hurt, Jaden is basically comatose, and Lia...well, as I am fond of saying, that would be telling, now wouldn't it?

For those who can spot the _Doctor Who_ reference (which I don't own either) virtual cookies will be given.

See you all tomorrow, when we catch up with Atticus and the gang.

Bye now.

MoS

Yubel: M-sie is being mean! I haven't featured in _forever!_ I want my screen time, M-sie! I want my Jaden! M-sie, don't run away! I just want to _play _with you...


	24. Reveals

Warnings: Atty. Atty, and more O.C.'s. Enjoy that.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_, or anything at all, really. I might own Lia. And Sachiko. And...oh, you'll see.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Atticus awoke to chaos.

He didn't know it was chaos at first, of course.

He opened his eyes in his sister's room in Obelisk Blue, confused. As he sat up, his stomach protested and he winced. Gingerly undoing his coat and pulling up his shirt, he gulped, and looked down.

A splotchy, purple bruise had already formed.

" Damnit!" He hissed into the air. Carefully, he reached a finger down to poke at the darkened bit of skin. He swore loudly and retracted the finger. Nope, definitely not doing _that_ again.

" What the hell happ-" He froze in the middle of scratching his head.

His sister.

The confrontation.

The questions.

Her punching him.

_Lexi_.

He jumped to his feet and looked around frantically.

The room was empty. The bag she'd had on the bed was gone. And the faint light coming through the window on the far side of the room was silvery.

" Fuck!" He swore, running a hand through his hair and trying to think.

" Fuck." He muttered again when nothing came to him.

He'd been so sure he'd be able to get answers. He'd psyched himself up for hours, telling himself that if the only way to get to his baby sister was to pull a 'scary, badass older brother' routine, then by gods, he would. He was at the end of his rope. Alexis was sneaking around with Jaden and Chazz, spending all hours out hunting after something. He saw them huddled together all over campus, whispering and gesturing, occasionally waving their Bio Bands about in anger. Atticus hadn't had to look very far to find the source of all the trouble.

Alexis and the others were worried about the Bio Bands and, as per usual, they'd taken matters into their own hands, seeing as how the staff of Duel Academy had never done squat before, and weren't likely to do squat this time either. It was almost standard procedure by their third year together.

But, for some reason, they were leaving him out of the loop.

Alexis had been distant since the last year had ended. No, that was wrong. She'd been distant since before the end of the year, staring moodily into space and not responding when he or her two roommates tried to engage her in conversation. He'd assumed that she was depressed about Zane leaving without saying a word. He knew he was. So he'd let her be, hoping that time would snap her out of it and restore her good humour. Truth be told, he was just so happy to have his sister back and the threat of the Light gone that he'd simply ignored everything else, telling himself that he was reading too much into and everything would go back to the way it was.

Only it hadn't.

It really, really hadn't.

Where there had been camaraderie and an ease between their group before, a rift had started to form. It wasn't due to skill or level or anything so petty. There was merely a sense of knowledge, a deeper understanding of something he couldn't even _see_, that had taken root and flourished with some members of the group, Alexis, Chazz, and Jaden in particular. It wasn't all that surprising, given the experiences all three of them had had with the Light, but what Atticus couldn't understand was why they were distancing themselves from the rest of them.

Jaden had gone sullen. He brooded in his room for hours, smiling when he needed to, but his eyes dark and soulful. He seemed to have been presented with some fantastic puzzle whose answer eluded him at every turn, and what pieces he did have didn't fit together quite right. He could be found outside of the Red Dorms, or on the roof, hunched over, fingers steepled, staring out at the ocean. Atticus certainly didn't know what had gotten into him, but the ones that had ended up at the White Dorm certainly did, and they discouraged questions.

On the outside, Chazz hadn't changed, not really. He was still a braggart and a jerk, boasting about his exploits and lording his victories over others. But his eyes followed Jaden; everywhere the other boy went, Chazz knew about it. Like a faithful attack dog, Chazz always had an ear and an eye out for Jaden. His blind faith in Jaden as a hero seemed to have been replaced by a far stronger loyalty, one that surpassed even Syrus' or Hassleberry's. It was all unspoken, seeing as how Chazz went out of his way to poke fun at his fellow Slifer, but Atticus got the uncanny feeling that where Jaden led, Chazz would follow, for better or for worse.

Because there was also a wariness when Chazz looked at the younger boy that hadn't been there before. It was on all their faces, but on Chazz's, it seemed less like fear and more like anticipation. Like the black Slifer was just _waiting_ for something to happen. It set Atticus on edge.

Alexis, as well, had changed. If Chazz was subtle about his new found loyalty, Alexis was not. There wasn't a moment when Atticus wasn't sure she was ready to run after Jaden into whatever hell he was going to try and fight. Her school girl crush had transformed and solidified into a fierce, protective sense of honour and obedience that was surpassed only by her own sense of initiative. The insecure, frightened girl who used to look to him for protection and guidance had vanished like the flame of a candle, snuffed out by the wind. In her place was, to Atticus' horror, a warrior. His sister had grown, and she was growing into the boots of a fighter.

Atticus would've given anything to stop it.

It wasn't right. Alexis had _nothing _to prove. To anyone. She was a great Duelist and a good person, so why did she feel the need to try and be more? Why did she think she had to put herself in danger?

Because that was what she was doing.

That was what they all were doing.

Somewhere along the road, a line had been drawn in the sand, and Alexis had crossed over it without a second thought. She, Jaden, and Chazz had been changed irreversibly the previous year, and the others in that group followed their lead. Something had gone wrong, and he'd looked away at that wrong moment.

Because his baby sister had suddenly become the protector.

On one side of the chasm stood Mindy, Jasmine, and himself. On the other, the rest of the group stood, apologetic but unwilling to come back. There was no bridge. And all Atticus wanted to do was get to them.

Still cursing, he stumbled out of his sister's room.

And right into the chaos.

People were running up and down the halls, shouting frantically. There were Blues, and Reds and Yellows, and each of them had a look of panic on their faces. They were yelling back and forth down the hall, all of them. It was a great big cacophony of noise, words lost to the din, or else too garbled to be understood in the first place. Atticus tried to step forward, to try and find someone who could tell him what was going on, but he was nearly run over by a speeding Slifer, who crashed into a Ra and started yelling something. The most Atticus could make out was that it had to do with Duel Academy.

Then he was blindsided.

A body crashed into him, going at top speed, and they both went over. As he fell, Atticus was sure he heard a feminine yelp of surprise, and he became aware of breasts pressing against his side. They fell into a heap, Atticus taking most of the blow. His stomach groaned as a small hand was shoved against it.

Moaning in pain, he gingerly opened one eye.

" Jessica?"

The girl looked up, surprised. Then her face broke out into a relieved grin, and Atticus found himself being hugged tightly.

" Atty! Oh thank god, you're still here!"

" Jess, what happened? What's got everybody so spooked?" He rubbed her back. Jessica pulled away, and Atticus was shocked to find that her eyes had filled with tears.

" Oh, Atty, it's...it's just..."

" Jessica, what is it? Come on, you can tell me."

She sniffed, reaching up to wipe her eyes.

" I...I was just coming to see if-if L-Lexi was back yet." If she had to go with a roundabout way to tell him the story, he'd go with it, but he wished she'd hurry up. His nerves couldn't take much more stress.

" She's not." He said shortly. Jessica paused, looking at the hands she hand folded on her lap. When they'd pulled themselves off the heap on the floor, he wasn't quite sure, but at least she wasn't pressing on his bruised middle anymore. All around them, students continued to run, shouting at each other.

" She went after Viper, didn't she?"

He shrugged, trying not to show how put out and worried he was.

" Yeah, I think that was the plan."

" I was so scared when I couldn't find you." Jessica continued, mostly unprompted and out of nowhere. " I...I thought that maybe...you'd..."

" I'd what?"

" So I ran to see if I could find Lexi. I thought, maybe she'd know something."

" Jessica." Atticus grabbed her shoulders, letting a hint of frustration seep into his voice. " What is going on?"

The tears that had been gathering welled up and spilled out, flooding her cheeks.

" It's gone, Atty. It's all gone!" She choked.

" What is? What's gone?"

" Everything!" Jessica sobbed, falling against his chest. " There's...There's nothing! Just this great big hole!"

" What are you talking about? You aren't making sense!"

" There was this great big flash of white! It was so bright, and I couldn't see! It hurt my eyes, so I closed them. And when I opened them again...I..."

" Jess? Jessica!" She was starting to scare him, truth be told.

" I musta...passed out or something...because I was on the ground when I woke up and I'd been standing..."

" Jessica, cut the crap and tell me what happened!"

" And I looked around and...and...something didn't seem right , so-so, I looked again. I looked all around and...oh god!"

She fell into his chest, sobbing. Atticus' patience ran out and he grabbed her by the shoulders, hauling her up to look him in the eye.

" For fuck's sake, Jessica! Just tell me what happened!"

" Duel Academy." She whispered tearfully. Atticus's blood went cold.

" It was gone, Atty. Just vanished into thin air."

As Jessica dissolved into tears again and the world fell into chaos and frenzied panic around him, only one thought crossed Atticus' mind.

' Lexi, what have you gotten yourself into this time?'

* * *

There was a hole where his school had been.

There was a _hole_ where _his school _had been.

_There was a hole where his school had been._

Sheppard tried very hard to say something. He really did. But no words came. What exactly was he supposed to say when he returned to find a huge hole in the center of Academy Island, the eponymous Academy nowhere in sight?

" There's hole where your school should be." The woman at his side offered. He could only nod dumbly.

He left to get back up. Viper had clearly crossed some lines and somewhere along the way, he'd gone from strict professor to straight up dangerous psychopath, one who didn't blink at the idea of using children to further his own plans. Sheppard cursed the fact that he'd let the man into his school, but the fact of the matter was that Viper had quietly and swiftly assumed control, and Sheppard didn't think it would be easy to get it back. Viper wasn't a man who looked like he could be intimidated easily, and certainly not by a balding, portly man in his early fifties. He'd needed someone who could take Viper down.

A covert background check had revealed previous service in the UN's Peacekeeping Force, something Viper had off-handedly confirmed in carefully casual conversation. It hadn't been much, but it had been all Sheppard had. He'd taken off for the European headquarters to make some discreet inquiries about Viper, and see if there were any known weaknesses. He hadn't expected one of the operatives to immediately jump on his request for back up, citing that since Duel Academy was an international school that housed many different children from many different countries, and had played host to visiting dignitaries before, it was the duty of the UN to protect it. There were several high-ranking students currently enrolled, and damage to their person could spark an international incident. Furthermore, the officer in question knew Viper personally, and agreed that it sounded as if the man had gone over the deep end.

So Sheppard had returned with three officers in tow, hoping that by the end of the day, the matter would be settled, and things could go back to normal.

Instead, he'd arrived to a giant hole, and no Duel Academy.

" I take it this is not how you left the place." The woman said, her tone light but her eyes steely. Dressed in army fatigues, and carrying a standard issue gun, with a blue beret perched on her head, the woman looked fearsome indeed. Sheppard coughed, trying to find his voice.

" No, the school was definitely there when I left." He winced, thinking of the backlash such an incident was sure to incite. " The parents are not going to be happy about this."

" I'm certainly not."

He looked at her, startled. She sighed, and pointed to her chest.

" You were obviously in too much of a hurry before to really listen. Lieutenant Colonel _Yuki_." The sunlight caught an orange streak in her hair. " I believe you know my son."

For the second time that day, Sheppard felt his jaw drop.

" You're _Jaden's _mother?" She nodded.

" Juudai-kun had contact me earlier, asking about Cobra-chan. I thought there might be more to it, but I never expected anything like this." She sighed. Then turned to yell at the two officers she'd brought with her.

" Majors Hassleberry!" She shouted. Sheppard mouthed the name 'Hassleberry' to himself, and wondered how something like that had managed to slip him by.

" Colonel Yuki ma'am!" Two voices sounded. A pair of dark-skinned girls, dressed in much the same way Sachiko was, saluted quickly and stood to receive their orders.

" Tricera, get on that radio in the copter and let headquarters know we need help. We've to contain this thing before the media gets wind of it. Tell them there's been an incident at Academy Island and radio them our coordinates. We're gonna need some back-up."

" Um, actually, Mr. Kaiba keeps this island uncharted for a reason-" Sheppard began but was instantly quelled by one look from the Lt. Col.

" If Kaiba-san has a problem with our containment methods, then he may take it up with me personally." She said frostily and for once, Sheppard flinched for the sake of Seto Kaiba, hoping against hope that the man would have enough sense not to try and dissuade the determined officer and mother from trying to locate her son.

" You just...get right on that." He took a step away.

" Brachia, see if you can't figure out who those men trying to be sneaky on the shore are." Sachiko continued as though she hadn't been interrupted. Sheppard did a double take at the shoreline where, sure enough, a group of black-suited figures were stealthily scaling the cliff, led by a figure in dark green.

" Hmm..." One of the girls, Brachia, had a pair of binoculars held up. Her hair was twisted into a braid and then looped into a bun at the back of her head. Her sister sported a ponytail. It was one of the only ways to tell the two apart. " Looks lahke they're wearin' the symbol of the Gecko Financial Group, 'less someone else startin' wearing the lizard."

" Sounds like Gilbert Gecko's private security detail to me." Sachiko turned to Sheppard. " Any Gecko's currently at Duel Academy?"

" What? Oh yes. Adrian Gecko came from East Academy as one of the exchange students this year."

Brachia smirked. Behind them, they could hear Tricera arguing with someone on the radio, clearly trying to make them believe that the school had vanished.

" Well now, 'nother hahgh-profahle student ya got there, Chancellor?"

She grinned at him.

" Mahghty big shame of all this ta happen _this_ year."

" Kia-chan, play nice." Sachiko warned, and the girl backed off. She turned her attention back to the figures on the shore.

" Whadd'ya want me to do with 'em, Colonel Yuki?"

" Observe for now. Try and figure out what they're after."

" Judgin' bah the look of thin's, I'd say they panicked an' went in to trah and save Gecko."

Sachiko looked at her subordinate sharply.

"Don't assume anything until we have confirmation. We shouldn't put Gecko on the list of missing students just yet."

" You think there are students missing?" Sheppard asked. When Sachiko gave him a deadpanned look, he quickly tried to explain. " I mean, do you think there are _a lot_ of students missing?"

" You said they were collapsin' left, rahght an' center, didn'ja?" Brachia answered for her commanding officer. Sheppard nodded. " Then chances are at there was a whole buncha 'em in the infirmary at all tahmes. So whenever this happened," and with those words, she pulled out a small hand-held device that Sheppard recognized as the latest make of a cellphone, and accessed the Internet, " there's a mahghty good chance that there were kids in this place."

She started surfing, alternating between looking at the phone and looking through the binoculars. Behind them, Tricera had finally gotten off of the radio.

" They're sendin' in a small contingency, Colonel." She said. She glanced down at her sister. " Ya better not be playin' mo' _Sahlent Hill_, Chia."

" Please, we got a crahsis on our hands." Her sister sniffed indignantly. " _Sahlent Hill's_ for boring days 'round the office."

" Oh, I'm sorry. Am I boring you two?" Sachiko gave them both a hard look. " I wasn't aware that you two needed more drills to keep you occupied."

Both girls blanched and launched into a long list of reasons why that wasn't necessary, but Sachiko was already turning away, pulling out her own phone as she went.

" I need to call my husband. Juudai is his son too." She said to Sheppard, and moved just a little off to the right. Respecting her privacy, he looked away. Walking over to the girls, he stared at where his school had been.

" So, what did they say?" He asked Tricera. " Or am I not allowed to ask."

" You can always ask. Doesn't necessarily mean you'll get an answer." The girl said. Then she smiled. " They didn't quahte believe me at first, but I managed ta convince 'em to at least send out a recon group. They should be here bah the end of the day. Tomorrow at the latest. They're sending 'em from a base we got on the mainland, but it's a ways away from any of the ports."

" I see." Sheppard sighed.

" Tah told us 'bout this place, y'know." Tricera said softly. By her feet, Brachia kept working, her fingers flying over the phone as she manipulated the information she was receiving.

" Oh?"

" Yeah, he was real excahted to fahnally get into Duel Academy. Said it would be amazing."

" And was it?" Sheppard asked, not without trepidation. After all, with what had happened the last year, it wouldn't surprise him if-

" He said it was the greatest place he'd ever been."

Warmth spread through Sheppard. He turned to smile at the girl, whose blue beret shone bright against her dark hair.

" Really now?"

" Yep." She beamed at him. " He said it was scary, and there were tahmes when he didn't know what to do, but at the end of the day, no matter how hard he had to fahght, it was all worth it. He says Duel Academy makes you appreciate the fahght, the way you can push your limits and trah just that little bit more. He said it made him into a man, and he wouldn't trade a minute of his experiences for the world."

For a man who'd been terrified of what his students would think of him and his school after the horrific things they'd undergone the previous year, it made Sheppard's chest grow warm and his eyes misty. Coming from a student like Hassleberry, who'd been in the thick of it all, it was high praise indeed.

He turned to look at the empty horizon, feeling the loss of the school like there was a void within himself as well.

" Well, if he's one of the ones missing, that attitude will serve him well. I can only hope that he and any others will him know that we will do everything in our power to bring them home, and if that fails, we'll find another way."

" They've had you for a Chancellor, sir." Tricera said, following his gaze. " Of course they know that."

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present The Great Hassleberry Twins!

Jaden's mentioned them before, and remember, I said that Hassleberry has _four_ sisters. I remember that one is called Lohrin, but I can't remember the other one...let me look it up...Alberta, that's it! Alberta! The only one with a relatively normal name. I actuall knew someone named Alberta once.

But here they are, in the flesh! The Hassleberry Twins! I love writing twins. Something about the dichotemy of their being is just...fascinating to explore. Twins and liminal figures, those are my two big writing joys.

So, here we are today. Atticus is awake, the school is in chaos, and Lt. Col. Sachiko Yuki is on the case. Does this bode well? I certainly hope so. I figured that it was just crazy that Sachiko wouldn't be involved in this, given her ties to Viper (oooh, that's not gonna be fun to break to her, is it?), her ties to Jaden (there are PLANS, people. PLANS.), and the fact that she works for the UN. She just...she had to come. Plus, I like writing her. Maybe not as much as some of my main characters, but I like involving the adults' perspective ever so often.

So, that's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow for the return to Desert World.

MoS


	25. Reasons

Warnings: Cryptic, annoying dream sequences! You've come back to me!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh_ GX

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

It took some doing, but they managed to round up all of the students scattered around the school in varying degrees of disarray and fear and put them in the gymnasium. Fortunately, that was where a lot of them were already, given the fact that the Bio Band-induced exhaustion had forced the staff to turn it into a make-shift hospital.

It had been Jesse's idea. He proved to be, if not cool-headed, then a least logical under pressure. He'd started giving instructions to the borderline panicking Crowler and the sullen Bonaparte. Neither had seemed to know what to do, so Jesse hard simply started firing off orders. Crowler had jumped to obey, ready to do anything besides sit around and feel anxious. Bonaparte was sulky about taking order from a student, and an exchange student no less, but got up and did as he was told.

That was the easy part.

The students were scared and emotions were running high. All it took was one to fan the flames of that spark into a bonfire.

" What's going on?"

" What happened?"

" Where are we?"

" How the hell did we get here?"

" How do we get home?"

The usual, general questions were flying about, and up on the balcony that surrounded the lower part of the gym, Jesse sighed.

" We gotta trah an' explain thahngs ta 'em."

" How?" Chazz crossed his arms. " _We_ don't even understand what happened."

" We still gotta trah. We owe it to 'em."

" We don't owe them jack."

" Chazz." Jesse turned beseeching eyes on the older boy. " It's partly our fault that they got landed here."

" It's Viper's fault and that's the end of it." Chazz replied coldly. Down below, Alexis had found Mindy and Jasmine while making her rounds and counting students. The two girls had their arms around her and were crying. She was the only one to have come with them. Jim and Hassleberry had agreed to go and check the outside really quick to see if anyone had gotten stuck, and Syrus wasn't to move on Miss Fontaine's orders. Jaden still hadn't woken up, and they'd left Lia to watch over him, as it was obvious the girl wouldn't have been much help anyway. She'd been listless and distant since they'd arrived, seeking physical comfort when she needed it, but hardly saying two words to anyone. She seemed to prefer sitting at the end of Jaden's bed, staring into nothing, or else, staring at his face, puzzled expression on her own.

They let her be.

Jesse gulped.

" But Chazz...Vahper had already paid fo' his crahmes. An' he can't answer fo' 'em anymo'."

" Your accent's getting thicker." Chazz observed.

" Damnit Princeton!" Jesse banged his fists against the railing. " Don't ya understand what's goin' on here?!"

Chazz sighed and turned. Leaning back against the railing Jesse was abusing, he looked up at the windows that comprised the roof of the gym. Outside, the world was black, without a single star or moon. The only reason they had lighting within the school was because the light that had transported them had been kind enough to also transport the basement where the generators were stored.

" It can't be you." He said at length. Jesse looked up.

" What?"

" It can't be you who tries to explain this."

" Chazz, Ah was there, Ah know what happened-"

" That doesn't matter right now." Chazz cut him off. He was looking into the great black sky.

" Then what _does_ matter?" he asked waspishly. He didn't mean to be so rude, but Chazz was rubbing him the wrong way after his nerves had been fried over and over against throughout the day.

" You're not from Duel Academy."

Jesse paused, blinking.

" Chazz, what-"

" You're not from here." The older boy repeated. With a sigh of frustration, he whipped around to look at the students in the gym below. He dragged a pale hand through his hair.

" I know you've shown up for three years. I know you're our friend. I know that you're a part of our little group, even if you are a little too close to Jaden for comfort." The black Slifer smirked at Jesse's incredulous look. " Come on, Fairytale, you're him with a southern accent."

" Ah...No Ah'm not." He protested weakly. Chazz snorted.

" Yeah, you are. We all agree, so don't try and argue."

" Nahce ta know y'all think so much o' me."

" Hey, you signed up for this. Any person with halfa brain woulda been running for the hills years ago."

" So whah didn't you?"

Chazz coughed and looked away. Jesse smirked to himself when he saw that the older boy was blushing.

" We're getting off topic."

" Don't we always."

" This is important, Anderson."

" Alrahght, fahne. Whah can't Ah 'xplain what's goin' on ta th' masses down there?"

" Because you're from North."

" So ya keep sayin', but Ah don' see-"

" Jesse." Chazz said, and the other boy froze. He'd learned a little about Chazz Princeton in his years of coming and going from Duel Academy, and one was that if Chazz used a first name when he didn't normally, then it was serious. As Jesse watched, Chazz leaned over the railing, his fingers interlocked.

" Everybody's scared. They're terrified. They won't want to show it, but they are. They'll cover it up with anger, and frustration, and they're going to lash out, no matter who explains the situation."

" Are ya sayin' ya don' think Ah can handle tha'?" Jesse asked, his tone a trifle resentful.

Chazz shook his head.

" No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Jesse, you're not from Duel Academy. You hang around with us and you keep showing up and you stalk us on Facebook-"

" Ah do no such thahng!"

" –but at the end of the day, you're a North boy, and they'll resent you for trying to take control."

" But Ah'm not-"

" Jesse." He shut up quickly. Something in Chazz's tone quelled him. He'd never heard the other boy sound so serious. " I know, okay? I know that. I know you. You're an idiot and you're too much like Jaden, but that also means you've got a good heart even if you don't have much going on upstairs."

" Gee, thanks." Jesse muttered sarcastically to himself.

" But Jesse, _they don't._" He pointed to where Alexis had finally managed to get Mindy and Jasmine under control and was trying to comfort a freshman. Mindy was hugging and shaking Blair and Jasmine was trying to coax a small boy of out the fetal position he'd curled up into. He barely looked fifteen-years-old.

" They're scared, and they're angry, and if they see you trying to tell them what's happening, they'll snap. You're an outsider." He held up a hand, pre-emptively stopping Jesse's protest. " I know you're not really, but that's what they'll see when they look at you. They'll see a foreigner who doesn't belong, trying to take control of the situation when he doesn't have the right."

" Tha's..."

" I've had a little more experience with PR than you, okay? I've been down to that section of the Princeton Organization, and I've seen the way these things can blow up in someone's faces."

" You seem to know a lot about people." Jesse said cautiously. Chazz' face went dark and, for a moment, Jesse was flung back in time several years. Jaden and Chazz stood across each other in the dueling arena, Chazz's voice strained and Jaden's eyes sympathetic.

" My brothers made me learn psychology." Chazz laughed quietly to himself. It wasn't a nice laugh. " I could've diagnosed myself over the years ago, but I never did."

Jesse was silent, but that seemed to be what Chazz needed.

" I was too scared of what I'd find out."

" Chazz..."

" In case this has escaped your notice, and it wouldn't surprise me if it had, your nose being buried in your cards all day," Chazz took a deep breath. " I'm fucked up, Jesse. I am fantastically, brutally, royally fucked up."

" You're not th' same." Jesse said softly. Chazz looked at him. " You're not tha' person anymo'."

Chazz rolled his eyes.

" What would _you_ know about it?"

" Ah'm from North, 'member?" Chazz started. " Ah was there th' day ya came. Ah'd just gotten mah Crystal Beasts an' tha's whah Ah-"

" Dropped out of the School Duel, right." Chazz wouldn't look at him.

" Tha' gahy befo'? Tha' ain't who ya are now, Chazz. Ya're so much mo' 'an him tha' it's amazin'. Yo' better 'an him, Chazz. Don' ya evah forget what Jay said last year. Yo' th' pinnacle o' human strength, Chazz Princeton. Don't let nobody tell ya aneh different."

There was silence, in which Alexis slowly made her way up the stairs to them.

" Well, I counted somewhere in the high 80's, though people kept moving, so it's possible there's more." She said as she approached them. " They're getting restless though. What should we do?"

" You and Chazz sit 'em down an' tell 'em what's happened." Jesse said, pulling away. Alexis watched him go.

" Where are you going?"

He turned to smile at her over his shoulder.

" Ah'm gonna go an' make sure Jim an' Hassleberry got back okay." He waved as he walked. " Have fun now."

Alexis blinked as Jesse turned the corner and vanished, her one brow raised.

" Well, that was weird. I was expecting him to insist on talking to everyone."

" He knows they wouldn't accept it. Not from him." Chazz righted himself. Beside him, the blonde looked into the crowd contemplatively.

" You think? I mean, Jesse' pretty charismatic. He and Jaden have got that in common."

" They've got a lot more than that in common, and not all of it's good." Chazz stretched. " Well, come on then."

" Hmm?"

" We've got to try and make these people understand what happened."

" Do we even know what happened ourselves?" Alexis bit her lip.

" Jaden and Viper dueled. There was light. We ended up here."

" It's not the best explanation..."

" Lexi, you're underestimating the kids at this school." Chazz shot her the tiniest little half smile. " If they can find out that there are soul-sucking cards in the basement and still want to come back, then they're stupid enough to handle anything, believe me."

" Why Chazz Princeton." Alexis looked at him with laughter in her eyes. " Was that a compliment to the masses?"

He shrugged, and linked his arm with hers as they started towards the stairs. Ways to begin his speech were already flitting about in his head, but for one moment, he was going to enjoy the banter with his friend.

" Statistically speaking, it had to happen at some point."

And as Alexis laughed softly, Chazz let himself enjoy it. It would be the last time in a good, long while.

* * *

_He took a step back, staring in horror as the blackness slid up to his feet, curling around the stone where he stood. But it didn't touch him, it slunk around his feet, going around wherein he stood in a small oval, giving him enough berth to step back and forward, tapping lightly at the inky black that ran by him like water._

_It rippled out where he touched it, spiraling circles emanating from where his toe had touched it. And then it was black water, rushing up to meet him, splashing against his legs and rushing back and forth, as though dragged by a vicious tide. He looked up, confused, and above him a great blue moon hung, dragging the water back and pushing it forward again, until great waves rose and fell, crashing against the rocky shore he was standing on. And the crash of the waves became monstrous roars, breaking over the eerie silence with trembling force that nearly shook his legs out from under him. He fell to his hands and knees, submerged up to his elbows in the black water (was it water, it felt too thick, too full, too alive and burning and hot to be water), staining his red jacket to ebony._

_And the water seeped up higher and higher, hardening and molding to his arms, glinting like obsidian in the golden light that was shining overhead. He looked up again, and saw that he was in the abandoned dorm, his flashlight casting a singular beam of light out into the dark hallway. In front of him was the mural of the Millenium Items, glowing a blazing gold in the darkness._

_**"**__**It feels safe**__**."**__ His own voice echoed out in the emptiness, and he reached his fingers up to touch the glowing eye of the Millennium Puzzle._

_And then it was the medallion he'd own from the Gravekeeper Chief, huge and spinning, staring back at him as he was bathed in its glow. He took a step back, almost blinded by the intensity of the heat and radiance coming off of the enlarged medallion, which had begun to spin. As he watched, the piece of gold spun faster and faster until it was a blur, the intricate carvings all whipped together, and all he could see was the great eye in the center, staring down at him. It began to rise, still glowing._

_**" **__**May it serve you in times of need."**__ The Chief's voice echoed as the medallion rose to the sky._

_And then it was a blinding sun, blazing out over an empty desert, the sand whipped into the sky by an unforgiving wind._

_But he couldn't see the burning sun or the ruined ocean before him. The blackness was solid on top of him, closing him off, severing him from his senses as though he was losing a limb. The air around him felt dark and damp and all around the smell of death and decay hung like unlit lamps from a ceiling._ _Something pushed hard on his chest, and his mouth flew open to release the air that was forced up. At the breath escaped him, something coiled around his middle, pulling him upright (but what was upright? What was up and down in this insane, spiraling world that he couldn't see?) as he struggled to take another breath. The stuff slid over his mouth, covering it, choking off his air. Another, thick strand, so heavy he could actually __feel__ it settling on his face, clamped down on his eyes, molding itself onto his skin, forcing him to remain blind._

_Frantically, he tried to raise his hands to his face, but found them bound at his sides as the substance thickened and became heavier, seeping into his clothes and wrapping around his body, molding itself into hardened, black coils that hung from his arms and legs like twisted, ripe fruit from a tree. Choking again, he tried to move his limbs, but the weight held them firm, hanging uselessly at his side. His lungs burned, but the grip of the strange blackness around him had not lessened, and his eyes watered under the thick limb laying over them._

_It smelled like a tomb, like a-_

_No. His mind whispered. No. Anywhere but here. Send me to any grave but this. I will not rest quietly here._

_It happened in a split second. There was a half an instant of silence, and then the shadows let out pitiful wails as they were blasted off of Jaden's body, flung by some unknown force into the far corners of the surrounding abyss. Their shrieks of pain echoed all around, and Jaden stood at the very center of it all, unmoving, his face still down-turned and his eyes still hidden in shadow. The light surrounding him grew brighter, swirling over his limbs and through his hair until it was a shifting, blazing sphere. It encompassed his whole being, hot and strong and pulsating in time to his steady, sure heart._

_And then he was moving, moving within the sphere of the silver light, being hurled through time and space, jagged edges memories sliding over his eyes, remembered, understood, and forgotten in a split second. He was flying beyond time, beyond space, hurtling towards a destination that had no name and no reason. Fields of emerald vanished beneath him, lakes of sapphire little more than blue blurs as the sphere pulled him closer and closer. To what, he didn't know, but he knew he had to reach it, had to see it, or fall._

_As the green gave way to gold that finally gave way to churning black, his eyes got something. She stood, on the very edge of a high cliff, eyes transfixed on something in the distance. She was slim and pale and very beautiful, and so familiar to him that it made him ache. He reached out a hand to touch her, but the sphere pulled him forward once more, and she was lost as he crashed, flung backwards into oblivion..._

_There was white all around him._

_It was blazing in front of his eyes and so searing hot that it made his skin blister. He flinched back, trying to walk way, but the heel of his foot found nothing but empty air and he stumbled, falling to his knees. Glancing back, he gulped as he saw that all around him, wicked, threatening spikes rose up, encircling him and boxing him in, until there was just him and the whiteness in front of him. Because it wasn't all around him, like he'd thought. It was in front of him, and he'd been touching it with his hands, and it had stung, racing across the palms of his hands like a heavy whip. He'd stumbled, trying to get away. Or had he been trying to get closer? The pain was gone now, and there was a pleasantly hum of warmth in his hands left in the wake of the whip crack. Or maybe it had always been there, hidden under the sting. He thought that maybe he could endure the sting to feel the warmth. He wanted to try again. His hands didn't look blistered anymore. In fact, they looked sturdier, somehow, as if the pain had made them thicker._

_He reached out and touched the whiteness._

_There was a slight sting, smaller this time, and he bore it until it became a slap, a punishing surge of electricity that set his nerves alit. He yanked his hands back, cursing, and then tripped on the spikes again, throwing his still stinging hand out to catch himself before his impaled his body on the them._

_And then, instead of cool metal, there was gritty stone, and he realized that they weren't so much spikes as they were spikey rocks that jutted out around him, and for some reason, that was so much worse._

_The feel of rock under his fingers made him shake, and he hastened to let go, to pull away and stop holding on to them like they were his lifeline when they weren't. When they shouldn't ever be._

_But a great, empty darkness had opened up around him, and he was slipping into it. He scrambled up the rock even more, fingers curling around the spike at the tip._

_" Stop it!" He shouted, and from somewhere, the wind started howling. " Stop it, this isn't funny anymore!"_

_But when had it ever been funny before? And for that matter, when was_ _**before**__, anyway?_

_He had no answer. The spike was stabbing his palm, and he felt something wet run down his wrist. It should've been hot, but it was cold, and when he looked, there was no blood on his arm, only water, and then he realized that it was raining and he was soaking wet and the rocks –spikes- were slipping out from under his fingers, and he hand to grapple with his hands just to stay up and out of the great nothingness that was opening up underneath him._

_" Stop it, stop it, I don't like it!" He cried, but the wind was screeching around him, and it was sucking the air out of his lungs and stealing his words and choking him. The wind was wrapping around his throat and squeezing until little stars erupted over his vision and he couldn't see straight._

_No, not the wind._

_Tiny, thin little curls of black that were reaching out of the pit under his to try and haul him down. He loosened one had and swatted at them, slipping precariously down._

_There was a low roar that echoed up at him, and he blanched, the stone under his hand wet with rain and the little curls of darkness slipperier than the stone, and suddenly, the roaring was above him and it was thunder, and he could see dark clouds over him._

_His fingers slipped a little._

_White lightening danced across the darkened sky, and all he could think of was that the whiteness in front of him suddenly looked so much darker..._

_He had no answer. The spike was stabbing his palm, and he felt something wet run down his wrist. It should've been hot, but it was cold, and when he looked, there was no blood on his arm, only water, and then he realized that it was raining and he was soaking wet and the rocks –spikes- were slipping out from under his fingers, and he had to grapple with his hands just to stay up and out of the great nothingness that was opening up underneath him._

" _Stop it, stop it, I don't like it!" He cried, but the wind was screeching around him, and it was sucking the air out of his lungs and stealing his words and choking him. The wind was wrapping around his throat and squeezing until little stars erupted over his vision and he couldn't see straight._

_No, not the wind._

_Tiny, thin little curls of black that were reaching out of the pit under his to try and haul him down. He loosened one hand and swatted at them, slipping precariously down._

_There was a low roar that echoed up at him, and he blanched, the stone under his hand wet with rain and the little curls of darkness slipperier than the stone, and suddenly, the roaring was above him and it was thunder, and he could see dark clouds over him._

_His fingers slipped a little._

_White lightening danced across the darkened sky, and all he could think of was that the whiteness in front of him suddenly looked so much darker..._

_But he couldn't see it, because the lightening was blinding him. Spots were dancing in front of his eyes, and he could barely keep them open without them hurting. His fingers ached, and as another little tendril coiled over his foot, he smashed his leg into the rock, wincing. He heard the thing give a gut-wrenching scream as it connected._

_Everything on seemed to be burning, as if he'd been lit on fire and left to smoulder. He tried to breathe, but the air around his was too hot, charged with a nameless energy that ripped down his throat and stabbed at his lungs. He choked, and to his horror, something wet crawled up into his mouth and splattered out, staining his lips._

_His eyes forced themselves open, even as his free hand, the one he'd been using to bat the curls of darkness away, reached up to wipe his mouth, coming back sticky and wet. The thing in front of him blazed darker than he'd ever seen it, sucking the colour out of the world until Jaden was sure he was black and white, a sketch against rugged paper, easily erased. Wordlessly, he looked down at his palm._

_And cried out._

_Because there, plain as day and red as rose petals, was a smear of blood._

_Jaden choked, and tried to scream, but the wind hit him with a gust that felt like a physical blow, and then he was being hurled back, his fingers unclenching on the rock, and rocketing forward into the not-whiteness that was before him. As he crashed into it head first, he gave a cry, more blood splattering out from his mouth. The current of energy ripped through his skull and sent shockwaves down his body, and it was only distantly, in between the jolts of pain, that he recognized the pleasant warmth the electrical charges left in their wake..._

_And then Jaden, from the depths of his very being, called up a strength he didn't remember having from a part of him that he didn't know, and __**pushed**__ at the not-white, burning, painful vastness in front of him. His skin scorched, his body stung, his vision swam in and out of blackness, but he pushed, harder and harder until the blaze of pain was dulled to nothing, and all that remained was the warmth of that slumbering thing deep inside of him. That thing, that glorious, powerful thing that had pulled him from the jaws of death, that terrible, angry thing that had yanked Chazz back from the edge of the abyss, that great, god-like thing that forced Jaden's eyes open and his body forward even as his mind screamed for rest..._

_And then the not-white and the black spikes and the blood had gone, and __there was a great ocean of sand stretched out before him, running miles and miles away from where he stood. The dunes rose and fell like the waves of an ocean, but instead of the steady, soothing motion the tide, there was a stillness that stole the breath from him. _

_There was no noise; not one single thing sounded in the vastness. The sky hung a sickly shade of deep green, black clouds crawling across it like worms burrowing their way through dirt. Against the pale pallor of the sand, the sky appeared to be darker than it actually once. He squinted his eyes as he looked over the dunes, their paleness reflecting a brightness back at him that hurt. The wind picked up, for a moment, kicking up a dust storm. His arms came to shield his face, the tiny grains leaving stinging marks as they hit his skin._

_He became aware of a terrible heat from somewhere up above. Looking towards the sky again, wincing as he got sand in his eyes, he located the source._

_Three glowing suns beat down on him where he stood, forming a triangle high, high above him._

_Memory exploded over him in a rush of images: A man, a woman, a dagger and a price. The gleam of a medallion, broken in two. A promise. The woman's sad eyes. People down on one knee, bowing to him._

_The threat of monsters looming overhead._

_A hissed warning, and the quiet death of a noble warrior._

_Regret and sacrifice._

_He'd been here before. Years ago, but the landscape had not changed and the heat of the suns beat down as hard as ever._

_This was-_

" _Jaden?"_

_A voice scattered his thoughts._

" _Jaden, why would you play with me?"_

_It was childish, bell-like. The high pitched whine of an ignored child who had yet to learn patience._

_It set his teeth grinding._

" _Don't you __**like **__me anymore?"_

_The sweat that trickled down the side of his face was cold, despite the heat of the suns overhead._

" _Don't you want to be with me anymore?"_

_That voice, that awful, wonderful voice! He knew it, he knew like he would have known his own reflection! But what was the name?_

" _I've missed you so much, Jaden. Why did you go away?"_

_It was on the tip of his tongue, gummed up with flashing images. The table, the cards, the silver-and-purple thing –_

" _Why did you __**leave**__ me?"_

_He hadn't, had he? Because to leave the owner of that voice would be a crime, wouldn't it? There had been a promise, there must've been, because he remembered the vaguest hint of sunset and the peak of a mountain, and vibrant, dual coloured eyes that looked right through to the heart of him._

" _Why did you __**abandon**__ me, Jaden?"_

" _Who are you?!" He screamed at last, his voice almost lost to the wind that was whipping up around them. The suns had vanished behind a cloak of black clouds. The air was heavy. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, and the storm began to gather._

_Again._

" _You don't remember me? You don't even remember that much?"_

" _Show me your face!" His frustration made him bold, and he took a step forward. There were shadows of figures just beyond his vision, outside of the swirl of sand that had kicked up around him._

" _You might've forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten __**you.**__"_

" _Please!" He begged, hoarse at the throat. " Please, show yourself!"_

_But the only answer he received was the scream of the winds as the storm grew closer._

_But then, miraculously, there was an answer._

_A great, terrible eye, surrounded by bulging veins that led nowhere, appeared in the very center of the storm before him, It opened with a sicken sound like a plunger being pulled, and was horrified, held transfixed by the ruby-red pupil that gaze past his flesh and past his bones and right into his soul._

" _Soon." The voice crooned, somehow heard over the roar of the winds. " Soon, you'll be __**all mine**__ again."_

_A figure was crouched just behind the eye. A figure of a boy with spikey hair, impressions of where his eyes should be staring right into Jaden's own. On his left arm, a scaled, clawed thing rose out of the bright, glowing orange substance that made up his form._

" _And I'll __**never**__ let you go again!"_

Jaden sat straight up in the bed, startling Hassleberry and Jim as they lay the bruised and bloody Axel down on a bed for Miss Fontaine to examine. He didn't see them. His eyes were clouded over with tears.

* * *

So, now we know what's been going on with Jaden. Kinda. A little. ...It makes sorta sense to me, and will later...ish. Um, symbolism? Yeah, lots and lots of symbolism. All of the symbolism, guys.

Also Yubel. Yay, Yubel. ...Wait, that's not a 'yay' thing! That's a 'run as fast and far as you can thing'! Why am I yaying?

I don't know guys. I just don't know.

Anywho, hope you liked today's chapter, and tomorrow, we'll see Sachiko again, I promise!

MoS


	26. Calls

Warnings: Hassleberry and Jim's dueling accents! Woo-hoo!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" Jaden!"

" Sarge, are ya alrahght?"

" C'mon, mate, say summin'!"

" You've been out of it for hours!"

" Wha' is it? What...Jaden, what's wrong, mate?"

" Sarge?"

" Jaden, look a' me. Jaden."

" Sarge, listen to him."

" Jaden, c'mon on, just look up."

" What's wrong with him?"

" Dunno mate. 'e ain't listenin' t' me. Loike 'e can't 'ear me or summin'."

" Trah shakin' him."

" Moight not be th' best idea there, 'assleberry. 'e's 'ad a shock of sum koind, an' Oi don't think we wanna startle 'im. Look at 'im. 'e's sweatin' buckets."

" Do ya think it has somethin' ta do with..."

" What., mate?"

" ...With what happened out there?"

" Y' mean with...?"

" Yeah."

" Could be. You lot evah done summin' loike that before?"

" Well, I...Not really. Some things..._happened_ last year, and they were bad, but...I mean..."

" Jesse mentioned summin' loike that one the boat. You lot 'ave a lotta trouble last year?"

" It's hard to explain. You really just...you had to be there. I couldn't..."

" Easy mate. Don't you go 'aving an attack loike Jay 'ere."

" It's just...there's no way for me ta make ya understand. There's nothing I can say...Not one thing."

" That bad?"

" It was...undescrahble. Impossible. An' the way things went down..."

" Oi'm guessing that's impossible to descroibe too, yeah?"

" It was...there were stars...and..."

" Stars?"

" Jaden played Neospace, but it wasn't...all rainbows and clouds, it was...space. The universe."

" What, loike you blokes were floatin' up 'round the moon and such?"

" More 'an that. The moon was there, and so was the Earth, but..."

" Don't leave me in suspense 'ere mate."

" It was...everything. All things. Tahme and stars an' planets an'..."

" Sound's ace."

" I don't actually know what that means."

" Great, grand, excellent. Sounds loike summin' a body would be lucky t' see."

" It...It wasn't lahke anythin' I'd ever seen before. It was..."

" So that was Neospace?"

" The Sarge hadn't ever played it lahke that before, and I don't know if he ever will again. There were...circumstances."

" What koinda circumstances?"

" The Lahght."

" Now, what's this Loight everybody keeps goin' on 'bout. Oi heard sum stories, but nobody seems t' be able t' tell me what this thin' is."

" It's...well, for starters, the reason people can't tell you about it is because they never really saw it."

" Never saw it? This thin' took over 'alf your school, an' you're tellin' me that no one ever saw it?"

" It's...what ya gotta understand is that the Lahght ain't a run-of-the-mill bad gahy. There's...It's somethin' else entahrely. You ever hang 'round TVTropes?"

" Who 'asn't, mate?"

" Well, you ever see the 'Eldritch Abomination' page an' the 'Can't Comprehend the True Form' page?"

" Yeah. So?"

" That's kahnda what this was lahke. I was staring rahght at the thing, rahght into Its eyes – if It had 'em- and I couldn't see it. I saw looking rahght at It, but somethin' inside mah head said, 'No, I can't see this. This is a vaholation of everything that I am. If I see this, I'll go crazy, no questions asked.' So we saw it without seeing it."

" Do...do ya remember...anything?"

" Whahte. Lotsa whahte. And something...floating. Makes mah head hurt ta think about it. It was just...It was too much. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Vahper."

" Well, Voiper's in a place where 'e don't need t' worry about that sorta thin' anymore."

" That's true. I just..."

" Hey mate. You're shaking summin' fierce. You alroight?"

" The image just keeps playin' in mah head...only it's not an image...it's not anything...but it is. I tell you Jim, that thin' filled up the whole room without even being there. It was awful. An' the _voice_."

" Voice?"

" It spoke to us. All of us. That voice...it was like somethin' outta a nahghtmare."

" It actually spoke t' you all?"

" Spoke is...a relative term. It didn't have no mouth. Didn't have no nothin'. Just eyes and whahteness and a voice that nearly made me go crazy. There's nothing lahke it in the world, Jim. Can't be. Else we woulda all gone clean crazy bah now. That voice..."

" You don't need t' say anythin' mate."

" No, I do. I need to talk about this. We don't. None of us. We prepare and we fahght, but we don't talk about what happened, 'cause what is there t' say? We all know what happened. We all know what went down. But if I don't talk about this, about what I saw- or didn't see- I'll lose it. I know I will."

" Easy mate, easy. You don't wanna end up loike Jay over there, do ya? 'e 'asn't so much as looked up since 'e woke up."

" That voice Jim...imagine...you can't imagine it, but trah..."

" Sure thin', mate."

" Imagine...Imagine if everythin' that's wrong with the world had a sound. No, that's not rahght. Imagine...imagine if wrongness itself had a sound."

" What koinda wrongness?"

" Just...Just wrongness. Just...fear and doubt and hopelessness. No, not even that. Just...imagine something fundamentally wrong. An image that don't make sense. Two plus two equalling fahve. Imagine that. A deep, completely against everythin' ya know wrongness. Two and two makin' fahve. Yeah, that'll work. Imagine that. Imagine that, for one second, you saw a two and a two go together and become ahive."

" That's impossible."

" Yeah, but that's my point. Imagine it. Two and two into fahve. Imagine how wrong that is. Imagine how much it disagrees with everythin' that you've ever learned or known. Can you see it?"

" Yeah."

" Does it make you uncomfortable?"

" ..."

" Jim?"

" Feels...wrong. Like summin's that got no roight t' exist. Loike summin that Oi shouldn't think 'bout in th' first place."

" Hold onta that feeling Jim."

" Alroight then. Got it."

" Now, keep thinkin' about it. Keep thinkin' 'bout two and two makin' fahve."

" Alroight."

" Think about how wrong that feels. Think about how it vaholated everythin'. ...Now, imagine that wrongness had a sound."

Jim's one good eyes flew open.

He was ashen in the harsh light of the infirmary. On the bed beside him, Jaden hadn't moved. The Slifer had his head in his hands and he was shaking, but he hadn't moved. Hassleberry was looking at Jim seriously, his eyes just a little darker, his pupils just a little sharper at the edges. Somewhere in another part of the infirmary, Miss Fontaine fussed over Axel, cleaning his scratches of sand and dirt.

" It looks worse than it is." He'd insisted, but Miss Fontaine was not in a mood to be crossed.

" You're covered in scratches! This is the second time in less than two weeks!"

Axel had winced at the reminder of his encounter with Syrus.

" I just went through some glass, that's all."

Which had of course sent Miss Fontaine into a frenzy, hustling him behind a screen on the other side of the room so that he could strip out of his shirt for her to examine. Normally, she would have done that where he was standing, as the only two other people conscious in the room were boys, but Lia had fallen asleep at the end of Jaden's bed and no one could be sure when she was going to wake up. Besides, it didn't look like a particularly deep sleep.

Jim took several steady breaths. Shirley rubbed her head soothingly against his calves, pausing only to glare at Hassleberry for causing the older boy such distress.

" Bloody 'ell mate." He said at length. " That's..." He couldn't find the words.

" Yeah." Hassleberry agreed. After a moment of heavy breathing on Jim's part, he continued. " 'Magine bein' there in the flesh."

" An 'ow are you not crazy ag'in?"

" Lahke I said, mah mahnd refused ta see It. Mah ears refused ta hear It. I just...I shut down before I could trah and understand what It was."

" Did...Did everehbody go through that?"

" Well, Anderson and Sahrus, yeah, they put their heads down and kept 'em down. Lexi, I'm not too sure about."

" Was she involved?"

" More involved 'an me. She got possessed bah this thing."

" Bloody 'ell."

" Yeah, but here's the funny thing: She made It leave."

" What?"

" She forced It outta her. One way or 'nother, Lexi had that thin' runnin' scared. I mean, she took on the whole Socahety at the end of last year."

" She did what, mate?"

" She dueled the whole thin'. Every member. She had Zane for back-up, but she won. She beat It. And..."

" What is it, 'assleberry?"

" Well, It...gave her somethin'. Said it was a reward. Damn fuckin' lousy reward if ya ask me."

" What was it?"

" It...The Lahght...did somethin' ta her eyes. Made 'em special, so that she could see It."

" See what?"

" The Lahght. It said somethin' lahke 'Fahnd me wherever I hahde', or some crap lahke that."

" Is that whoi she came back that noight wit' 'er eyes all...?"

" Yeah, that's it. Mah guess is, she used that gift, whatever it does."

" Musta 'urt summin' fierce."

" She was screamin' and crahyin' and bleedin' all over the place. It was terrible. It didn't stop 'til the Sarge-."

" What?"

" This is where it gets weird."

" _This_ is where it gets weird?"

" I know, I know, that sounds bad. But the Sarge..."

" What did Jaden do?"

" That's just the thin'. For a minute there, he was the same."

" You mean 'e...?"

" You just...You couldn't look at him. You couldn't see him. He was there, but he wasn't. He filled the whole room, but he didn't fill one corner. He was everywhere an' nowhere at the same tahme."

" An' did 'e make your 'ead 'urt too?"

" Yes. No. ...Kahnda. It was lahke...if the Lahght was everything that was wrong, then Jaden was everything that was _rahght_."

" Roight?"

" Yeah, lahke...he was two plus two equals four, only the feeling of that. The rahghtness, the fundamental rahghtness of that statement. He was lahke that. An' it was just as hard ta look at as the wrong."

" ...Sounds loike you lot 'ad quoite the adventure."

" Don't get jealous, Jimbo." Hassleberry joked weakly. " We seemed to be getting into plenty of adventure here."

Jim laughed, reaching down to pat Shirley, who rumbled contently and then went back to sleep at his feet.

" That we do, mate. That we do."

As the two tried to reconcile themselves with the world as it was, Hassleberry shakily reliving those glorious and terrifying moments of hanging in the space between stars and Jim shuddering under the image that Hassleberry's descriptions had produced in his mind, neither of them thought to glance over a Jaden.

The boy was where they'd left him, shaking, sniffling quietly, his head in his hands and refusing to acknowledge anyone. But the difference was that now Lia was crouched at the end of his bed, not quite within touching distance, staring at him. Her face was blank but for a single moment, her eyes flashed with a fathomless light and her gaze became something fixated, like an addict staring at their next hit.

All the while, her fingers turned a white stone, tampered to a point at one end, around and around, her nails scratching over the strange runes etched onto it.

* * *

It was inevitable, but that didn't stop Sachiko from feeling annoyed.

" You realize that I keep the location of my island uncharted for a reason, don't you?" A cold, business-like voice said into her ear.

' You realize that your school has up and vanished into thin air, taking a hundred students with it, don't you?' She would have liked to reply. But seeing as how this was Seto Kaiba and he'd condescended to call her on her personal cellphone (she didn't even want to _think_ about how he'd gotten his hands on her number, but she was probably going to have to change it afterwards), she took a steadying breath, and did not tear into him like she so wanted to do.

" I understand that, I really do-"

" Clearly you don't. Otherwise you wouldn't be shipping all these people out to my island."

" You ship people out here all the time!" She snapped before she could stop herself. His arrogance was starting to get on her nerves.

" Mrs. Yuki-"

" Colonel!" She all but snarled. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Tricera wince.

" –the people I send to my island are my trusted employees. Or else they are students who have _earned_ the right to know its location. Not government officials I have never met and don't know from the next asshole trying to dig up dirt on me or my school."

She fought the urge to punch something. How could one man be so stuck up? She felt sorry for his wife.

" Are you trying to imply, Mr. Kaiba," she said slowly, " that you feel that I have not _earned_ the right to be here?"

" Well," the man answered dryly, " let no one say that you can't read between the lines, Mrs. Yuki."

" Colonel." She ground out. " And you _are_ aware of the fact that your school has_ vanished into thin air_?"

" I am. Are _you_ aware that your little phone-call has sent the media camping out on my front lawn, wanting to know why the UN was suddenly called in to Duel Academy."

Sachiko blanched. That was exactly what she had wanted to avoid.

" Tricera!" She shouted, holding the phone away from her. The girl snapped to attention.

" Yes ma'am!"

" We've had a leak. Suss out who's responsible and explain to them the error of their ways!"

" Right away Colonel Yuki ma'am!"

Sachiko sighed as the girl quickly darted off to make some calls. At least _someone _acknowledged her rank. She turned back to the phone.

" If you really think barking some orders like an angry dog is going to fix this, you are-" He was saying, but Sachiko had reached the end of her rope. She'd just received a preliminary list of the names of students missing, and Jaden's was on it. Worse, no one had seen him after lunch period the day before she'd arrived. Her nerves were frayed. Her temper was short. And her instincts as both a soldier and a mother had been kicked into high gear.

" Will you shut your mouth and listen for five seconds, you miserable, paranoid little punk!" She growled into the phone, and was rewarded with silence. Either Seto Kaiba was quelled by her tone, though she doubted it, or, more likely, he'd been struck dumb by someone finally telling him to shove it.

" There are, currently, at least one hundred students missing, and that's just from preliminary questioning and roster checking." She was as business like and cold as he was. Seto Kaiba might've been one of the richest men in the world, but he'd never set foot in New Guinea at the height of Initial Phase when everything was going to hell, and he'd never stood by and watched the person he loved try to negotiate peace in an room full of despots who wanted nothing more than to shoot each other. Seto Kaiba had never been a prisoner of war, and it wasn't his son who was gone without a trace. And Sachiko wasn't called 'The Tank' for nothing.

Once she got going, she was unstoppable.

" At least one member on that list is a high-profile: Adrian Gecko, the eldest son of the Gecko Family, has been listed among the missing. Do you know why I was called in, Mr. Kaiba? Professor Thelonius Viper, a man _you_ hired to teach at West Academy, had begun insisting on dangerous methods to teach students, using an experimental proto-type that was catapulting them into states of exhaustion! Chancellor Sheppard came to the UN hoping to find someone to stop Viper before it escalated into comas and deaths!"

" Mrs. Yuki-"

" _It's Colonel!_" She snarled. " Lieutenant Colonel Sachiko Yuki of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force! Are you deaf or are you really just trying to piss me off?! It might have been my call that landed the media on your doorstep, but it was _your _negligence and a lack of a psyche test performed before you staffed these schools that has led to the disappearance of over a hundred students, my son included! So you'll have to forgive me if I don't care that you can't go out to get your morning paper!"

She paused for breath, heaving slightly. The silence on the other end of the phone persisted.

" Now you listen to me! Have you ever seen a mother bear defending her cubs?" She could feel his confusion, but cut him off before he could start talking again. She'd probably hop the next plan back to Japan and try to kill him herself if she had to listen to him talk more. " A mama bear will kill her own _mate_ to protect her cubs. You aren't my husband, Kaiba-san. You're not even my friend. I don't know you from any other asshole who thinks that because I'm a woman, my rank is a joke and they don't have to respect me! I don't know you _at all! _So tell me, what the fucking hell do you think I'm going to _do_ to you if you keep standing in the way of me _getting my son back?!_"

There was a stunned silence. Sachiko panted. Behind her, she heard Brachia give a low whistle. Finally, when Seto Kaiba spoke again, it was in a low, respectful, but somehow bemused tone.

" Alright, Colonel, you've made your point spectacularly. I'm to blame for this nightmare just as much as this Viper guy is. I'll leave Academy Island in your capable hands, and try to see if I can't do something about the reporters on my end."

" Thank you." She said shortly, making to hang up.

" Oh, and Colonel?" He made her pause in her action. " I have to say that I admire your spunk. Most people don't have the guts to stand up to me." There was a trace of his former arrogance, and Sachiko simply could not resist the chance to get the last word in.

" And I admire yours, Kaiba-san. Most people would be gibbering in fear of me right about now."

And then she hung up to another stunned silence, feeling just a little bit better about the whole scenario.

* * *

Because who better to show Sachiko being a badass to than Seto Kaiba? I'll admit, he's being a major douchebag here, but then...Kaiba's kinda a jerk for the most part. He's got his reasons, of course, and I can't say that I don't get where he's coming from...but Kaiba's an asshole. The kind that is easily adored, but still an asshole. He's probably riling Sachiko up on purpose because he's mad about the media scandal. That his PR department will handle just fine, don't worry. It's not all that important to the plot, but I kinda like the idea of somewhere, someone trying to explain what the fuck just happened to the masses. Giant hole where the school used to be? Um, okay. Other dimensions? Alright. Evil soul-sucking bracelets? ...I think you've lost them.

Either way, whoever is in charge of the PR will get fired or a raise, depending on how they spin this.

And Sachiko is a badass. A total badass. And she takes shit from NO ONE. She's fun to write now and again.

Not much to say here. You guys can figure things out on your own, can't you?

Tomorrow, the return of the slimey bastard in a scene I think you guys will like a lot.

Until then!

MoS


	27. Bargains

Warnings: The slimey bastard is back...but you might not feel so hateful towards him by the end of this section.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

Adrian trembled as he put the canister holding the demonic arm on the table in the library.

" Nobody will look in here. You'll be safe." He reassured with a smile, despite his quaking heart. Little bubbles rose up and off the creepy looking hand, and Adrian gulped. It would be so easy to just leave, to run and never come back. He dearly wanted to, but two things kept him rooted: one was the insatiable curiosity about the arm. He'd seen it do terrible things, and it had looked deep within his own heart, laughing and giggling in that deranged voice of its. That curiosity led, of course, into the desire for power he'd carried with him ever since Shamus was born. He'd been cast aside, thrown away in favour of the 'real' heir to the Gecko family's vast fortune.

It had led him down several dark roads, not least of which was his desire to grab power wherever he could find it.

And the arm, whatever it truly was, had power.

The second thing that held him there was far less comforting. At least the other way, he was there of his own free will. Dark and vice-like though his reasons might be, there were his own and they'd come from him. He was the one in control of the situation.

The second reason he didn't turn tale and run didn't afford him that kind of luxury.

" _Remember Adrian._" The same voice teased. " _You __**promised.**_"

Adrian winced as he recalled his own words down in the chamber in the animal research lab.

" _I'll do anything!"_ He'd pleaded.

And apparently, he'd sealed his fate.

When the duel had finally distracted the voice long enough to let him fall to the ground, he'd crawled away, desperate to find some sort of shut off valve. And it had all gone, horrible, sadistically wrong.

He hadn't been able to leave the room. Try as he might, mind-bending pain had sent him screaming to the floor every time he reached the doorframe. Something had been keeping him in that room. And he'd had no idea of what, staring into confusion as the glow had gone red, and the glass tube had shattered, leaving the building to come down around his ears.

He had woken in sand, the demon arm in a canister of its own creation by his side, Duel Academy looming up behind him.

" I just..." He muttered, unaware that he was speaking aloud. " I don't understand."

" _Don't you know about the power of words?"_ The voice teased. Adrian looked at the canister sharply.

" The power of words?"

" _Humans are so ignorant."_ The voice sighed. Adrian has the distinct impression that if it had had eyes, they would be rolling. " _You don't even know __**that**__ much."_

" What is the power of words?" He pressed.

" _In verbis, potentia."_

He frowned.

" That's Latin."

" _The Romans were good people. Interesting."_

" You _knew _Romans?" Adrian could feel his jaw drop. A giggled sounded throughout the room.

" _I'm older than you think. I've seen empires rise only to crumble into dust. I've seen kings crowned and then cut down to make way for usurpers."_ There was a pause, during which Adrian felt the fine hairs at the back of his neck prick up. He felt watched. " _I've seen entire peoples enslaved and kingdoms conquered. I saw the Fall, and I have seen the empty throne that awaits its king. I have lived a long life, flitting from container to container. And so, I've learned a great many things in that long life."_

" And one of them was the power of words?" Adrian settled into one of the chairs. Even more than his desire for power, the thought intrigued him. He'd always enjoyed puzzles, and what the voice was saying made sense, in a strange, out-there sort of way.

" _Do you know why an idol is worshipped?"_

" An idol?" He thought for a moment. " Well, idols are made in the images of gods, right? So they're worshiped by being the stand-in for a god that can't physically manifest. Or they're ways for the worshippers to try and get closer to their god, or gods."

" _An idol is powerful because it invokes a god. And so, the very word idol is given power. It is the meaning attached to the word that makes it powerful."_

" So the power of the word comes from the association?"

" _No. The word is innately powerful, but in order for that power to be invoked, a meaning must be giving. Unless there is a meaning, the word cannot be comprehended, and so it cannot be made powerful._

" _The word 'red' invokes the colour. If 'red' didn't make you think of that specific colour, then the power would be locked within the word."_

" In order for the word to be powerful, it has to be comprehended, because that releases the innate power?"

" _That's a crude, but accurate understanding, yes."_

" That's almost exactly what you just told me, word for word!" He snapped, indignant.

" _Human minds are small. They have great potential, but there are things that are beyond them. That __**must **__be beyond them."_

" Or else what?"

A dark chuckle.

" _Have you ever been mad, Adrian? Have you ever felt your blood curdling in your veins with your bones turn to glass and your skin to ashes?"_

He gulped, going gray at the image the voice painted in front of his eyes. His stomach turned.

" No, I-" He swallowed hard again. " No. That sounds...disgusting."

" _It's a state of being. No more terrible than the one you exist in now."_

" But...they way you said...that sounds _awful_."

" _Most of it would happen in your head. Very few ever come to that point."_

He shuddered. The nonchalance in the voice's tone made him sick all over again.

" Have...Have you ever seen..."

" _I told you. I've lived a long life._" He got the distinct impression of a shrug. " _I said very few ever come to that point, but there are those that do."_ A pause. " _Poor souls."_

The voice certainly didn't_ sound_ particularly sorry.

" You seem...different now." He said cautiously.

From somewhere in the back of his mind, a laugh, cold and high, echoed.

" _I've gone through many personas in my long life. You're making me talk about the past."_ The voice suddenly adopted the same high-pitched whine Adrian had encountered below the research labs. " _Would you rather we keep playing our game? How about another round of Mind Reader?"_

" No!" He tried to get out of the chair so quickly that he ended up knocking both it and himself over. His arm ached with phantom pain, and he fell into a graceless heap on the floor, panting. He threw a wild-eyed gaze around, heart racing in his chest.

That same distant laugh echoed.

" _You don't want to play me?"_ The voice taunted, and Adrian felt his stomach churn. _" Calm down. I've already seen what's in your head, and I think you and I could help each other. We're a lot alike."_

" We're not alike at all!" He spat, climbing back to his feet.

" _Temper, temper. We both know what it's like to be thrown aside."_

" Is that why you trapped me?"

" _I didn't trap you Adrian. I just used the power in the words you gave to me."_

" I didn't-"

" _Oh, but you did. You said you'd do anything if I stopped. I stopped. And now, you have to listen to me. It's as simple as that."_

"But I didn't swear on anything, I didn't..."

" _But you gave me __**words**__, Adrian. Words that had power in them."_

" And you...used them?"

" _I took the power, and bound you to me. 'I'll do anything' you said. You offered up your soul."_

" I didn't mean to. I would never have-"

" _You ignorance played against you, Adrian, but it changes nothing. I took what you offered me. I invoked the power of the words, and now, you have to listen to me."_

He took a deep breath. Somewhere, far off, he could hear the milling of students. So there _were_ others here. He was, at least a little, grateful. At least he wasn't trapped alone in a dark, desert world with a demonic arm that had a terrifying voice and seemed to own him.

" So. What happens now?" He asked at length.

" _Now, you help me. You do what I say. You tell no one about me, or our agreement. You tell no one what happened between us down in that lab. You don't know what happened with Viper. You don't know Jaden and him had a duel. You're just as confused and lost as all the others are."_

" Okay." He swallowed hard. Yes, there were others. Hopefully, they could help him.

" _And you don't even __**think**__ of betraying me!"_

He fell to his knees, his heart straining in his chest. Muffling a scream, he grabbed at it, feeling it skitter and race under his hands.

"Wh-Wha?!"

" _You offered me your soul, Adrian, and I took it. You belong to me now."_

He gasped, his heart trying to force its way out from under his skin.

" _Swear you won't betray me, Adrian! Swear you're not like __**him!**__"_

" I-I'm...not..." He choked out. " I...I sw-swear...it..."

The pain stopped, and he fell down to all fours, choking and spiting, trying to fill his lungs. His hands clutched at his chest.

" _Good boy."_ The pressure patted him on the head. With colossal effort, he raised his head to glare at the canister sitting innocuously on the desk. Another bout of laughter filled his head.

" _Now, now, don't look at me like that, Adrian. You brought this on yourself. If you hadn't been so interested in the power Viper had..."_

" F...Fuck you." He spat, blood sliding out of his mouth. He'd bitten the inside of his cheek in panic.

" _Well, it can't be helped. It's just your nature, I suppose. You're power-hungry; that's just who you are." _The pressure had started stroking, pushing the hair out of his eyes. " _But you have your reasons."_

The pressure, feeling like a hand, suddenly tightened. He was lifted off the ground by his hair, his scalp screaming in protest. He kept his mouth shut, though. He'd learned his lesson the hard way.

" _Listen."_ When he didn't dare open his eyes, he was shaken like a misbehaving cat until he popped one open. " _You do exactly what I'll say, and I'll reward you."_

" Like you rewarded Viper?" He said through gritted teeth.

" _Viper failed me."_ The voice laughed. " _**You**__ won't fail me, will you, Adrian?_

" I..."

" _Because if you're a good boy, and do exactly what I say, I'll share my power with you."_

" Your power?" Immediately, and a little shamefully, he was intrigued. An invisible force was holding him up by his hair and he was trying to figure out how to get more power. He could almost see Echo's disappointed face.

" _I've lived a long, long, __**long**__ life, my friend. I've seen things you only know from legends. I've heard things you can only dream about. I've learned things that have been lost to time since before your kind learned how to speak Ancient Greek. I'm old, Adrian, and with age comes wisdom. There are many things I could teach you."_

" And...And if I just...obey you," the words tasted like mud on his tongue, " ...you'll teach me? Things that will make me powerful?"

" _Yes, I can make you powerful, Adrian. I can make you strong enough to overcome Shamus without hurting him."_

A beat of silence. Adrian's heart stopped as his eyes widened.

" You...You can do that?"

" _You won't even have to raise a finger. Shamus will be happy and unhurt and you will be the heir again. I can make you powerful enough to win your parents' love again."_

It all seemed too good to be true. Part of him rejoiced, but another part pointed out that such a miracle couldn't exist, and there had to be a price to be paid, somewhere along the line. Something more than just servitude.

He didn't want to examine the fact that the voice of reason in his head sounded like Echo.

" _I can even give you that."_

" What?" Adrian blinked. He was still being held up, but the voice's promise had distracted him from the pain in his scalp.

" _I can even make that dream come true."_

" What dream? My dream?" He furrowed his brow. " My dream is...well, you know it already."

" _You want to be restored as the Gecko Family heir, yes, that's true. I've already promised you that. But I'm not talking about that dream."_

" Then what are you talking about?"

" _There's another dream, buried deep in your heart. A dream that you've never acknowledged, because you've never been able to understand it."_

" What? What is it?"

" _It's existed for longer than your dreams of power and wealth. It's existed for almost as long as you've been Adrian Gecko."_

" You're not making sense!" He snapped. " Tell me what you mean! What are you promising me?!"

" _That dream is so easy to fulfill, but so hard at the same time. Because it's a word Adrian. You dream of a word."_

" Enough riddles! Just tell me!"

" _If you do as I say and never betray me, Adrian, I will give you the power to make all your dreams come true. You can have power without hurting your brother. You can make your parents love you. You can find out __**her name.**__"_

Adrian went still.

" _Think of it."_ The voice crooned. "_ No more sparring matches where you desperately try to crack her shell. No more carefully trying to dig up information behind her back. No more questions, no more lies. You can have all of her, her heart, her mind, and her soul. You'll never have to wonder if she stays with you because it's her job or if she really cares ever again. You can have the power to really, truly, keep someone, Adrian."_

" Echo..." He whispered as the invisible force lowered him back to his knees. Though he couldn't see it, someone in the darkness of her existence, Yubel smirked.

" _That's right Adrian." _She coaxed quietly. " _You can make it so she never leaves you, ever. You can have her with you for the rest of your life, because I can give you the power to own her heart."_

" I can keep her...I can make sure Echo will never leave." He whispered, the possibilities flying around in his head. Yubel let her invisible hand push the sweaty bangs out of his face.

Then, even more quietly than before, he whispered,

" I can have everything ."

" _Everything you ever wanted. Everything that's ever mattered to you, Adrian. You can have it all. Just as long as you help me."_

" All I have to do..." He murmured, half in a trance. " ...is...help you..."

" _That's right. Just swear to serve me, just for a little bit, and I'll make sure you get everything that you deserve."_

At any other time, Adrian would've caught the dangerously vague use of words and jumped on them, sniffing out a betrayal a mile away. But he was dazed with pain and prospects. He was deaf to the dangers that lay before him. All he could see was the shining future in which he had the power he'd always craved, his brother unharmed, his parents adoring, and Echo leaning up to whisper her real name in his ear.

" _I can give you her name, my friend."_

" Okay." He whispered. " It's a deal."

And then he lumbered to his feet, ready to go and seek out the others in order to spy on them. Yubel, from her darkness, watched him go, a cold smile on her face. Adrian Gecko was a power-hungry, lonely soul whose darkness was slowly feeding her. She might've used him as a vessel, but she already owned him and she needed his eyes and ears without taking them over for herself. Besides, the school felt like it was rife with dark souls, one in particular calling to her. She'd have to wait though, as she could sense him being surrounded in light.

A little further off, she could sense Jaden, and her smile turned to a psychotic grin.

" _Soon, Jaden."_ She crooned to herself, alone in her state of almost non-existence. _" Soon, we'll be together again, and I'll show you what I've learned. You taught me about love. You taught me that love is a vicious, cruel thing that discards others. You forgot me, and I'm going to make you pay. I'll show you the same love you showed me, my darling. My beloved. My Jaden, my sweet, unforgivable Jaden."_

Her green and orange eyes began to glow.

" _I'll show you the love you showed me."_

* * *

Jaden shivered.

" You okay?" Lia asked softly.

She was sitting on her legs, leaning forward to get a better look at him. Jaden sighed, rubbing his aching head.

" Yeah, I just..." He trailed off.

" Just?"

" Got a big chill, all of a sudden." He looked at her. She was pale and wide-eyed, her face oddly blank. " So how about you, are you okay?"

" You slept for hours." She said, seeming not to hear him. He frowned.

" Did I?"

" You did." She nodded. " Did you dream?"

He frowned even more.

" I...I guess. Doesn't everyone? I don't really remember my dreams, but-"

" I dreamed." She cut him off. She was staring at the window across the room, into the sunrise that was slowly bringing light back to the world. The three suns glowed as they breached the horizon, wispy black clouds floating around them.

" Did you now?" Jaden asked cautiously. There was something very unnerving about the apathetic Lia in front of him. She nodded, not taking her eyes off of the suns.

" It's the same dream I've been having since last year."

Jaden's insides went cold.

" I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, with a desert behind him. In front of me is a great black ocean. The clouds overhead are huge and black too."

His heart began racing.

" Rising out of the ocean is a huge silver tower. I want to reach it, but all around it is a whirlpool, and I can't."

' No.' His mind whispered. ' Don't tell me this.'

" The clouds come closer and thunder rumbles. There's a storm coming."

A storm. There had been talk of a storm last year, hadn't there? A storm had broken just as he ran to confront the Light, was that it? No, there was something else, something he was missing...

" And then, just as the storm breaks, a shaft of lightning comes down towards me."

She turned to him. Jaden almost cried out at the fire in her eyes, vibrant in her cold face. Her beauty was transformed, made into something inhuman and as she leaned forward, her hand reaching out to touch him, Jaden was equal parts entranced and repulsed.

" Jaden..." She whispered, her fingers brushing his cheek.

The door to the infirmary shot open.

They both jumped back, startled, as Jesse and Jim hauled someone in and onto one of the nearest empty beds. Surprised and intrigued, Jaden sat up taller to try and get a look at the person. His jaw dropped as his mind registered what it was seeing. Shockingly, it wasn't him but Lia, snapped out of her disturbing daze, that spoke first.

" Bastien?!"

* * *

So, by a show of hands, who's scared of Yubel? Because I am. All of the scared.

I've decided that instead of making Adrian quite so slimey in his interactions with Yubel (and really, why would you trust something you just saw KILL its last co-conspirator, genius?!), I'm going to break him. Hard. Like a glass statue. This is not gonna be a fun ride for Adrian believe me.

I named his brother Shamus for two reasons: One, his original name was 'Shido', and I like that I managed to keep the length and the first two letters the same. Two: Shamus means 'usurper', which was just far, far too appropriate.

And some of you have been expressing some concern about Lia. I told you, right? Year Three is when I finally give you some answers. But first, I gotta give you more questions. Lia will be explained. ...Eventually.

Mos


	28. Reunions

Warnings: Slapshipping hints? Oh, and to Crime Scene Fairy: Yes, that song is TOTALLY Slapshipping!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

It was several seconds before anyone managed to say anything.

" You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Unsurprisingly, it was Jaden who broke the silence.

Unsurprisingly, he looked like he'd taken a baseball to the back of the head.

Surprisingly, the shock of seeing Bastian again seemed to have unlocked the depth of sarcasm within him, hither to unplumbed.

" This is turning into a really bad high school reunion." He said, gesturing to where his friend lay on the bed. " What, is Akimi-chan gonna show up next? Maybe Shin-kun?" He went pale and started looking around frantically. " Fuyubi-chan isn't here, right?"

" Who?" Jim asked, a little lost,

" Don' know 'bout th' other two, but uh...Ah've heard o' this 'Akimi' befo'."

Jaden shot him a sharp look.

" It's not pronounced like that and you're making me ashamed to know you."

" What is it with you an' mah accent, Jay?"

" It makes you pronounce words like that terribly, and the Japanese in me cringes every time."

" Ah'm...sorry?"

" Apology accepted. And for the record, Fuyubi-chan is my cousin." He shuddered. "My crazy, crazy cousin."

" Worse 'an that girl who demands payment?"

Jaden went still.

" Oh god, I'd never even thought of what they'd be like if they started combining forces!"

Then he turned to look sky ward, brought his hands together, and started speaking very rapidly in Japanese. Jim and Jesse observed him, exchanged a look and decided that it was probably better not to ask.

" Noice ta see ya lucid ag'in, mate." Jim said once Jaden had finished. The Slifer turned to him.

" Whaddya mean?"

" You were out of it. Wouldn't response to a thin' 'assleberry or Oi did. Just sat there, not sayin' a word." Jim paused in thought. " Was actually a li'l creepy, come to think of it."

He walked over and gave a resounding slap to the younger boy's back, grinning all the way.

" Glad to 'ave you back."

" That's nice." Jaden coughed. " Could you be happy a little more gently?"

Jim laughed and didn't go any easier on him with the next slap. Jaden fell right off the bed and onto his face.

" Ow." Came the deadpanned response.

There was a muffled snort from somewhere above him as Jesse tried to keeping from snickering.

" I can hear you laughing at me, Jess, and I want you to know: I don't appreciate it." Jaden said, still not hauling himself off of the floor. Winged Kuriboh materialized out of thin air to hover over him, worriedly. Of course, that only lasted a few seconds, as Ruby Carbuncle appeared too, hopped down off of Jesse's shoulder, and started poking Jaden's with her paw. Winged Kuriboh bristled, puffed out, and dove. Jesse and Jim watched the two monsters tussle with blank expressions.

" An' on th' list o' thahngs Ah never saw befo' comin' ta Duel Academy..." Jesse said snarkily. Jaden pulled his face off of the floor and fell back into a sitting position, rubbing his back.

" Weird shit happens. Get used to it."

" There's weird an' then there's _weird_, mate."

While the boys argued over what constituted 'weird' after spending several months at Duel Academy (and wondering if Jim had gotten the full experience yet, which led to the older boy calmly stating that if getting transported to an alien world due to a psychopathic teacher's plan to harness enough energy to allow for a demonic arm to resurrect his dead son gone awry wasn't the full experience, then count him out of the long haul.),Lia carefully crept over towards Bastian's bed for a better look.

His hair had grown, that was the first thing she noticed. Sweeping down to his shoulders, her friend was long overdue for a haircut. There was also the curious five o'clock shadow of stubble on his chin when, as far as Lia had known, Bastian had never had to shave in his life. His usual yellow jacket was missing, leaving him in the long-sleeved green shirt he generally wore under it, not unlike the one she herself was sporting (although she seriously doubted that Bastian had ever considered the jeans shorts she was wearing as a part of his ensemble), and around his shoulders was draped a worn brown cloak. He looked haggard and lost, like he'd been in the desert for a long time.

Though judging from the lack of contact, he may well have been.

Lia was surprised by her lack of reaction. Her joy at seeing her friend and her simultaneous shock at his sudden appearance aside, there was nothing. Of course she was curious and of course she was glad he was alright, but the usually fluttering of her stomach and tightness of her chest that she'd come to associate with Bastian were nowhere to be found. She supposed she could chalk some of it up to their bitter parting the year before, but her crush on him, on his kindness and his gentleman manners, had faded into the annals of time. Perhaps it was because he'd broken her heart, but Lia didn't want to believe that her lack of feelings was based on something so petty.

She wanted to believe that she'd simply out grown her feelings for him. That time had marched onwards and she'd matured with it, putting aside her childish fancy of him in favour of marking her place in the world. The end of the last year had changed everything. There had been no time to think about Bastian and how he made her feel. There had been fear, and anxiety, and that terrible gap in her memory where Syrus told her she'd spoken to him, but she couldn't really recall it. There had been relief and triumph and carefully hobbling away from the White Dorm, exhaustion bleeding from every pore.

And after that, after it was all over, there was a wedding to think about, and a guest to entertain, and then the idea that she had a father again, that Gauvin was happy to take that roll, and love her in a way she didn't know she could be loved. There had been decisions to make, there had been clothes to pack, there had been step-sisters to get into yelling matches with over what they muttered under their breath about their father's new wife.

There was coming back to Duel Academy.

There was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, which, looking around her, she felt justified in.

There was Viper to worry about.

There was Adrian Gecko to avoid.

There was Aster, and she wasn't going to think about him while she was examining why she didn't have feelings for Bastian anymore.

There was more fear, and more doubt, and more gaps in her memory where there were fuzzy impressions of things she'd seen and not much else.

There was a storm breaking all around her, threatening to lift her up off the ground with its winds and its rain and its awful, crashing thunder.

There were her friends who needed her, Jaden who'd suddenly gotten tactical and Alexis who'd started to take initiative and Chazz who was all of a sudden yet somehow not surprisingly Jaden's most faithful companion.

There was everything, a world about to spin off of its axis, and she'd never had time to think about the soft-spoken, well-mannered boy who'd unintentionally and utterly broken her heart the previous year.

(But there was time to think about Aster Phoenix; to think about how he'd looked at her and how he'd hugged her and how deep his eyes had been when she'd promised to give him a kiss every time he did something heroic. There was time to think about how much he'd given up, how much of his life he'd spent on a lie, how much she wanted to go out and bring The D back to life just so she could kill him again. There was time to think about whether or not he was enjoying himself with Sartorius and Sarina, whether or not he was thinking of her too, not that she cared of course. There was time to think about the fact that he must have been, when she'd received the present on her birthday. There was time to think about him every time she touched the necklace. There was time to think about his perfect, winning smile when he waved to her before she got on the helicopter to go home the previous June. There'd been time to think of Aster almost every day, and she really didn't want to think about what that meant.)

So, with him lying there and her standing over him, Lia paused, in all the chaos, to think about what it was that she saw when she looked down at the infirmary bed.

She saw someone who was brilliant, but also arrogant in a way that tended to get the better of him. She saw someone who had never met a problem he couldn't crack until he'd met Jaden. She saw someone who had clearly been through hell and back, and had taken the journey alone, which someone Lia had never had to do since first year. She saw someone she was happy to see, someone she wanted to help and take care of and make sure was alright. She saw someone who would probably be able to help them get out of the predicament they'd managed to throw themselves into, because if Bastian was in the desert world, then there was a very good chance he got there by grace of some scientific method, and not magic like them.

When she looked at him, she saw the precious friend she wasn't sure she'd ever see again.

She saw the boy who'd kissed her hand at the opening dinner, and while the memory made her smile, no butterflies exploded into being in her stomach and her heart remained at a steady pace.

She saw her friend Bastian, and realized that she'd missed him.

Lia frowned as she realized, also, that he wasn't waking up.

So, determinedly and deliberately, she poked him.

And when that failed to produce a desired reaction, she did it again.

And again.

And again.

Huffing when all he did was lay there, she reached out a hand to force his eye open and see if _that_ wouldn't jolt him awake. Right before she could touch him though, he groaned suddenly and rolled over, startling her. Lia fell backwards with a shriek, landing on her back, her arms flailing. The three other boys in the room, interrupted from their arguments, looked down.

" Uh, Koneko-chan?"

" Say anything," she growled, " and I _will_ kill you."

Silence.

" Yeah, that's what I thought." She pulled herself up, rubbing the back of her head. One thing was for sure, she'd started taking a lot more falling damage since coming to Duel Academy. She was surprised she didn't take more, given the amount of dangerous obstacles she went through on what was becoming a daily basis.

Something warm and dry bumped against her shoulder. She turned to look.

And met with green scales and yellow eyes.

There was a moment of suspended silence. Lia stared at Shirley, her eyes like dinner plates and all the colour draining from her face. Shirley stared back, impassive except for a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. The three boys winced as once, recognizing immediately where the scenario was headed. Shirley bumped her snout against Lia's shoulder a second time in a friendly gesture. Lia's mouth began to wobble, her breathing hitching. A whimper could be heard.

" Now, Sheila, don't go screamin', alroight?" Jim said in his most pacifying voice. He slowly knelt. Lia hadn't taken her eyes off of Shirley. " You'll end up scarin' Shirley."

The girl broke out of her terrified trance long enough to give the Australian a scathing glare.

" Oh yes, heaven forbid we make the _500 pound crocodile_ feel uncomfortable!" She hissed.

" Well, she's th' one wit' the teeth, yeah?"

It was the wrong thing to say, because Lia's gaze focused in on said teeth without a second thought. She slowly started to back away, clearly hoping that Jim would scoop Shirley up like he was wont to do, but the reptile was faster than his grabbing hands.

In a flash of green, Shirley followed Lia, backing her up against the wall. Lia squeaked in terror, but said nothing as the crocodile approached her, lumbering forward on stubby legs.

Shirley finally stopped when she was eye to eye with Lia. For along moment, she held the girl's gaze, seemingly judging her. After a minute or two, it became apparent that Lia was not found wanting, because Shirley lay her head down on Lia's lap, making herself comfortable. Lia stared down, not breathing, as the reptile happily flopped the rest of her body onto the floor, ready to go to sleep.

" ...Help." She whispered, anything else being lost as her shoulders started to shake. " Help me." Her chest heaved.

" Okay, Sheila, now just take it easy an'-"

" Get it off, _please_ get it off I won't scream I won't do anything just get it off get it off getitoff-" Lia half sobbed, starting to hyperventilate as the seconds ticked by. Jim swooped down, hauling a disgruntled Shirley, who'd been drifting off into sleep, off of the petrified girl. The moment she was free, Lia leapt up and behind the nearest person to hide.

Jesse looked over his shoulder at her.

" Do ya wanna leave th' room, darlin'?"

Lia shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut.

" Can't walk." She said. True enough, her knees were knocking together so loudly that the entire room could hear it.

" Do ya want Jim ta leave?"

" I just don't wanna see it." She whispered. " Make it go under a bed, or around a corner, but please, _please_ I don't wanna see it."

Jim carefully placed Shirley under one of the beds.

" Okay, Kitty-Cat, it's safe t' look now."

Gingerly, Lia opened her eyes, and peeked out from over Jesse shoulder. Sure enough, there was no sign of Shirley, and her grip on Jesse's back loosened a bit. She missed the way he winced and looked at his abused shoulders, certain that there were going to be bruises on them later.

Lia fell back to sit on the bed, breathing very hard. Jaden carefully reached out to pat her on the head, and looked up to ask Jesse were Alexis, Chazz, and the others had gotten to.

" Hey Jesse?"

" Mmm?"

" Where is everybody?"

" In th' gym." Jesse nodded his head in the general direction. " We figured it was a good idea ta get everybody in one place."

Jaden looked down at his feet.

" How many?"

" Jay?"

His hands fisted.

" How many people got dragged along with us?"

" Lex said high eighties, but Ah think mo'. 'Bout a hundred or so." Jesse looked away. " Chazz an' Lexi were explaining th' situation when Ah left. Sahrus an' Hassleberry were lookin' 'round fo' others."

" One hundred..." Jaden whispered to himself. He was still patting Lia on the head, though he wasn't aware of it.

Jesse gave him a sharp look.

" Ah know what yo' thinkin', an' it wasn't yo' fault, Jay. Vahper's the one tha' did this."

" And Voiper's already paid the proice." Jim said, making his way over. He made sure Shirley stayed under the bed. " What we need now's a way back."

" I believe I could help with that."

The entire room jumped.

Sitting up, looking at Jaden and Lia was a gaze full of warm affection, was Bastian Misawa.

* * *

After several paragraphs worth of techno babble that no one really understood (though they caught ideas like 'living duel monsters' and 'twelve dimensions') and even more time insisting that his mentor's name was pronounced Eisen_steen_, not Eisen_stine_, Bastian was introduced to the new members of the group and ready to go. No one really comprehended how he had gotten to the world in the first place, and no one particularly cared. He was there, that was the end of it. And he possibly had a way to get them back, provided they gave him room to write his equations and left him in peace.

They could do that.

Organizing the students fell to Alexis and Jaden. Chazz had opted out, citing the fact that he wasn't as good with people as Jaden was. He'd naturally chalked that up to Jaden being too stupid to be mean to someone (a fact that Jaden had very much disproved in his duel with Prince Ojin the previous year, but Chazz was allowed to get a point here and there), of course, but it didn't take away from the fact that people listened to Jaden and his charisma. And Alexis was a powerful figure at their school. That, and she had a mean right hook and a short fuse. If people didn't listen to Jaden, they'd listen when Alexis stood behind him and started cracking her knuckles.

Mindy and Jasmine had already volunteered for kitchen duty, Jasmine knowing how to cook and Mindy not wanting to be out in the crowds. The restlessness made her nervous, and she didn't like the way some of her fellow students were already starting to look like they had cabin fever.

For the most part, their lives were about to consist of waiting around, wandering aimlessly, and hoping that Bastian could find a way to save them all before the week was up and food ran out.

They had a vague plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. They just needed to be able to stave off the inevitable cracking some of the students looked ready to do until they could get home.

And no one was saying it, but there was the faintest idea that, if the food ran out and it was possible, there was fresh game waiting them out in the desert. Of course, no one could look at their monster spirits for long once that thought had crossed their mind.

" Are they...like you?" Jaden asked Neos, determined to get answer.

" _Yes and no_." The monster crossed his arms. " _They were once like us, but banishment has drained them of their intelligence. They are little more than animals, now_."

" Banishment?" Jaden looked puzzled, but Neos refused to answer.

" _You will know before the end_." Was all he said, fading back into the deck, leaving behind a confused Slifer.

It wasn't much, but it was a plan.

Of course something would come along to wreck it.

Blair walked with Marcel, flushed.

" Uh, thanks for...um, coming with me." She flushed. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It was amazing that the boy was the same height as her. She'd be turning 11 in March, and Marcel was just a week away from his 15th birthday, but they look to be about the same age. Then again, Blair always got mistaken for being older than she really was because her body had developed quickly.

" Eet's okay. I alzo 'ad to use zee facilitiez." His voice slurred over the words. " At least zere won't be a line, n'est pas?"

Blair giggled, more from nerves than actually finding the weak joke funny.

" That's true." She threw a look around. " Sure is gloomy here when the lights go out. You ever been in the school after dark?"

" Non. I am...'ow you say, nut a fan of zee dark." He looked embarrassed.

" That's okay." Blair leaned in close to whisper conspiratorially in his ear. " Neither am I."

" Zen we shall be frightened togezzer, yes?"

" Sounds good to me."

They kept laughing softly, forcing out jokes and funny scenarios, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread around them. At one point Blair swore she heard footsteps and turned around quickly, but there was nothing there. She put a hand on her chest to try and calm her heart. The dark night and the stories that were circulating around about the injured Harpy Lady were starting to get to her.

" Blair?" Marcel asked, looking over her shoulder with her.

" No. It's nothing." She turned to smile at him.

And screamed as something scaly and dark reached around Marcel's back to grab him over his mouth.

" Marcel!" She shrieked as he was being dragged back. She flung herself on him, catching him around the waist with one arm and trying to pull the scaly thing on his mouth off with her free hand. Something orange and softly glowing made itself apparent around his back, empty eye sockets staring into Blair's face until she felt sick. Still, her hold on her friend didn't let up.

" Let him go!" She shouted, tugging. The thing tilted its head to the side, as if studying her. She pulled harder, trying to get Marcel loose. " You can't have him!"

The thing righted its head. The scaly hand left Marcel's pale face and was replaced by a hand made out of the same, glowing substance as the rest of the body. The boy tried to choke out a scream, but was cut off as the orange hand clamped over his mouth and nose. Blair saw his eyes dim a little as he struggled for breath.

" Leave him alone!" She sobbed, unsure of what to do. To her horror, the thing slowly shook its head from side to side. Then it raised the scaly hand high above its head, and lunged.

Blair fell back with a scream. Pain raced up and down her arm, something warm oozing down it. Her back hit the wall and she slipped down. She felt like she was on fire, like her arm was burning up in front of her. Words rose her mind but died in her mouth. She groped for her arm, and when her hand became wet and sticky, she looked at it.

Blood was splattered across her palm, and the shock finally caught up to her.

The last thing Blair saw before darkness over took her were Marcel's eyes, wide with horror and helplessness as he was dragged off down the hall.

* * *

I actually like the Blair/Marcel dynamic. They so obviously care about each other and are socially awkward together. They're like those two kids that can't figure out how to interact with other people so they interact with each other. The friendship is adorable and I love it.

And I think that I kinda destroyed it a little with that last section. Sorry 'bout that.

So, the triumphant return of Bastian. Yay! Should I try and hide before the Academicshippers come out of the woodworks and try to hurt me? And by hurt, I mean maim. And by maim, I mean kill. Maybe. ...Depends on how you guys are feeling today.

Remember how I told you that, as they were, Bastian and Lia were well suited for each other? Well, they aren't who they were, are they? Lia has changed since Bastian left. I direct you to the 'Let me fight for you' scene in Year Two. Instead of wanting Aster to immediately understand what she's feeling, Lia instead puts Aster's desires and hopes in front of her own. She KNEW she was doomed if she tried to duel Sartorius, but she did it anyway because she knew that Aster needed it. Has Lia ever been that self-sacrificing for Bastian? She's liked him and tried to help him and stood beside him, but has she ever offered to fight his battle for him when he was losing faith, knowing that it would most likely kill her? She asked him, ' Isn't what you have enough?' when he was leaving for the Society. She didn't drag him back, sit him down, and force him to talk about his issues. She didn't really fight for him, did she? She could barely find it within herself to put her heart on the line with that onbe little question.

Bastian has always been untouchable to Lia. She had him up on a pedestal, and she always felt inadequate, not helped by the fact that he never saw her in that light. He was beyond her, in every possible way. She couldn't fight for him because she didn't see them as standing on equal ground. She couldn't sacrifice herself for him because they were measured differently. One Lia didn't equal one Bastian. Lia, though she cared about him and wanted him to care about her the same way, couldn't bring herself to put everything on the line for Bastian because there was just too much of a gpa between them. It was all in her mind, of course, but for her, it was still there.

There is no such distance between her and Aster. Early on in their friendship, Aster shared the rain with her, and so put they both on equal footing. There is no pedestal. There is no 'You are so much better than me.', or 'You could do better.' Neither or them have self-esteem issues when they're with the other. Any and all doubts come from the outside. Lia's avoidance of her feelings for Aster aren't because she thinks Aster thinks he can do better. They come from other sources, malicious gossip, deep-seated things that go on in Lia's mind. And yes, lovelies, things that go on in Lia's mind can count as outside sources. Take from that what you will.

But Lia and Aster are equal in a way Lia never was with Bastian. She knows all the bad parts of him, and she still finds him charming (though she'll never admit it), still wants to hang out with him, and still plays with the necklace he gave her at every given opportunity, sometimes unaware of what she's doing. She, despite being so entrenched in denial that it isn't even funny anymore, knows where she stands with Aster. Maybe she's scared fo where she stands, but in her heart of hearts, she knows exactly where it is.

Remember, Aster makes Lia want to be strong. Bastian made her wish she was pretty enough to catch his eye. With Aster, that isn't even an option. She might tell herself that it is, but the truth of the matter is that Lia knows she doesn't have to be anyone but herself to catch Aster's eye. He never looks at anyone but her.

So that's why I think Lia outgrew her feelings for Bastian. She's too much of a hero (and yes, people, she will have her chance to shine this Year. In fact, Year Three, especially Part Two and late Part One, is one long Crowning Moment of Awesome for Lia Shanner) to be able to be happy with someone who a) isn't going to be at her back in the middle of the fray and b) she still can't find within herself to see as being on equal standing in terms of romantic feelings.

Put simply: Bastian made Lia want to be better for him. Aster makes her want to be better for _her_.

Well, I think that's enough ranting for today. I'm going on a trip tomorrow, and I probably won't be able to post until later. I'm staying with a friend until the end of this week, so I'll update when I can during the day, but I expect I'll be hanging out with my friend. Also, this coming weekend we are going to be going out to see another friend, so I might not be able to update this Friday through Saturday. We'll see. Maybe Friday, depending on when we leave, and Sunday, depending on when I get back. Saturday is almost definitely out, though.

See you tomorrow for a little heart-to-heart that should please all the Goldshippers.

MoS


	29. Beliefs

Warnings: Goldshipping-ness?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX. _I don't own anything.

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" You're all insane." Lia said, crossing her arms. From where he was checking over the list Miss Fontaine had given him, Jaden gave her a sharp look.

" You got a better idea?"

" No." The girl said, not the least bit perturbed by his borderline glare. "But you're still crazy."

" I think we established that a _long_ time ago."

Lia sighed, sinking onto the bed.

" Well, at least you can admit to it."

She looked over shoulder at where Blair lay panting and sweating. Since she'd been discovered in the hallway, rambling on about Marcel, and sporting a strange, glowing cut, the girl's condition had taken a turn for the worst. They'd assumed she was in shock and lead her to the infirmary, trying to calm her down with assurances that they would start looking for her friend immediately. They'd tucked her into bed after cleaning and bandaging her wound, and told her to get a good night's sleep.

By the next morning, she'd had a fever, and her heart rate has risen. By the afternoon, she was delirious. By the following nightfall, coherent words had left her and when she did try to speak, all there was was a pitiful, garbled moan. Her eyes were glazed over when they opened, and by her panting, it was clear to everyone that she was in a great deal of pain.

The last time Miss Fontaine had changed the bandages on Blair's arm, the wound was still refusing to heal. It was starting to fester, and Miss Fontaine was worriedly trying every trick she'd ever learned in medical school to prevent Blair from having to lose an arm.

She was losing the fight, fast.

To make matter worse, they were starting to run low on food. Complaints and malcontents were everywhere, and Jaden was starting to get scared of what the students could do if they got angry enough. To add insult to injury, Bastian was still no closer to solving the puzzle of how to get home, despite the equations he'd scrawled all over the gym walls. Not for the first time, Jaden wished he'd never challenged Viper to a duel.

Because no matter what anyone said, it _was_ his fault. He'd gone and accepted Viper's challenge. Hell, he'd been the one to insist going after Viper himself, aware that going to Crowler and Bonaparte would be useless. He'd wanted to prevent something like the Light every happening again. He'd wanted to nip the problem in the bud before it could escalate. He'd wanted a lot of things, but like the self-centered person Viper had accused him of being towards the end of their duel, his selfish actions had only led everyone to disaster.

What had happened was his fault; of that, he was certain.

It was more than just him dueling Viper.

The dreams and the voice in those dreams matched the figure that had finally ended Viper's miserable life. And that voice was constantly crooning on about how much it loved him and how happy it was that he was back. The voice of the thing that had created that rune in the sky to nearly suck him dry of energy knew him, and was doing all of this simply to get to him.

It wanted him, and it was willing to go through anyone to get him.

Jaden felt responsible but worse, he felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. He'd gone over the dreams a thousand times in his head, trying desperately to recall what is was that was so familiar about the voice. Because it was. He knew he'd heard it before. It was driving him mad, like trying remember which movie a certain line of dialogue or musical piece was from, and always being stopped right before the name came to him. He knew the voice. He knew he knew the name of the person it belonged to, but even if it was on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't make that final leap into knowledge.

And he didn't have that much spare time to ponder it, either. There were other things to think about.

Adrian had shown up a few hours after Bastian, claiming that he'd hit his head and had been wandering around in a daze. There was a sizeable bump on his head and dried blood down the side of his face. But Miss Fontaine had eventually cleared him. Lia could been seen scuttling out of the room whenever he was there, and Jaden felt strange in his presence. It wasn't anything concrete, but the boy felt..._off_ somehow. It unnerved the Slifer and much as he hated it, he took great pains to avoid being alone in a room with Adrian. He didn't think his stomach could handle anymore nerves.

Not after Blair.

Miss Fontaine had run out of medicine. She needed penicillin and multiple other drugs that she either didn't have in stock, or didn't stock in the first place. As she'd explained many times in a tone that was growing in frustration and despair, she ran an infirmary, not a hospital. And what Blair needed was a hospital. Her fever kept climbing, and no matter the cool washcloths or ice they used on her, it was steadily making its way towards dangerously high levels.

" If this keeps up," the head nurse had said tearfully in a rare display of weakness, " she'll hit hyperpyrexia levels soon." When she was given a blank look at the terminology, she'd snapped.

" It means her body temperature will have gotten to a level where she's risking a brain hemorrhage! If she reaches 41.5 degrees Celsius, then she'll be in an emergency level! I'm doing everything I can, but I just don't have the supplies to do anything more than try and keep her cool."

There was silence, in which, to the horror of the group (The Slacker Club, into which Jim had been unceremoniously adopted, sans fanfare save for a look and a clinking of water bottles), Miss Fontaine took several large breathes, trying to hold back tears.

" Miss Fontaine?" Alexis said softly. The doctor turned to look at her. " What you said before, about Blair's arm?"

" An infection has set in." The woman heaved a sigh. " I need anti-inflammatory and something to flush it out, which I just don't have right now. The way things are going, you can all stop praying for Blair's arm, and start praying for her life."

There was another stunned silence.

" Blair's going to _die_?" Jaden whispered at length. He was the only one who managed to speak, but in his four words, he was able to convey all the horror they were all feeling.

Miss Fontaine looked at him wearily.

" Her fever is quickly heading into a temperature range that her body won't be able to handle. No matter what we do, we can't get it to lower to a more reasonable level. If she goes untreated for...I'd say another day, a day and a half at most, then it will reach a life-threatening temperature. When that happens, I don't know what I'll do. I can't..." This time, tears did start to fall.

" I don't have the resources for this! I don't! I need ibuprofen, I need penicillin, I need drugs that I don't even _stock _normally! I don't have what I need and because of that, all I can do is sit here and watch one of my students _waste away _while I throw _ice_ on her and _pray _that it keep her _alive_!"

She broke down. It was shameful, and uncomfortable, and none of the group had ever nor ever wanted to see an adult cry. There was a horrible sense of finality that settled over the group. Before that moment, their taking the lead in the adventures was because they were more reckless than the adults, and because, jokingly, the adults were useless. They were teenagers, wild and going to live forever, and so they could be more comfortable taking risks than the staff of the school, whom age had shown mortality and taught caution.

But here, before them, was something new.

It was a shock to their systems to realize that, no, it wasn't a joke. The adults truly were useless; they couldn't do anything. For Jaden, for Alexis and Syrus, for Chazz and Hassleberry and Lia, all of them had reached the age where independence was something they strived for. They wanted to prove themselves as adults, but at the same time, wanted the freedom of childhood and childishness. They wanted all the power of being a grown up without any of the disadvantages. They wanted to do whatever they wanted to, but not have to take responsibility for their actions. The very act of growing up was realizing that it could not be both ways. They could not have their cake and eat it too.

Watching Miss Fontaine break down into tears was a nail in a coffin somewhere deep inside of them. Somewhere, the door to childhood and carefree days closed forever. Somewhere, the laughter of the world dimmed just the tiniest bit. Somewhere, deep within their very hearts, each of them felt the turn of the world slow just a little.

The adults never did anything because they couldn't. They were genuinely lost and afraid. They would never be able to stand up and help the group when they needed it, because they wouldn't know what to do.

Perhaps they had already understood that, but the idea struck home with a vengeance as Miss Fontaine sobbed into her hands. It would fall to them. Whatever happened after that moment, whatever hell came racing after its designated horsemen, it would be theirs to faces. In that one moment of clarity, any remaining grips on childhood and levity fell away like shrouds blown by a strong wind.

They grew up.

And in place of the closed door stood another one, this time opened. Beyond it lay hardship, and heartbreak. Beyond it lay, not the sometimes selfish ambitions of childhood dreams, but adult struggles, both mundane and fantastic. Beyond that door lay mortgages, careers, and degrees. Beyond it lay pregnancies and house-hunting and bills to be paid. Beyond it lay unfulfilled dream set aside in order to make ends meet. Beyond it lay the responsibility they'd only cautiously prodded at until that moment.

But beyond it also lay power, not necessarily the kind some ambitious souls dream of, but power nonetheless. It was the power Alexis and Chazz had come to realize they had the year before. It was the power that Jaden had begun to exhibit since the ending of first year. It was the power all teenagers wanted, but were, for the most part, unwilling to pay for. It came with its price, but it was all they needed.

In the moment Miss Fontaine lost her composure in front of them, the Slacker Club grew up.

And then Bastian had recalled the submarine that he'd seen while wandering around in the desert towards Duel Academy, and speculated that it would probably have a first aid kit with at least _some_ of the supplies on-board.

And so, an expedition had been born.

There was no question that Jaden would go. The fit he would've pitched if any had ever suggested he stay behind made them all wince at the image. Though he had enough sense to keep it to himself (because he knew the fit _they_ would pitch if he let them know how he felt), they all knew, to varying degrees, how much Jaden felt responsible for what had happened. And try as they might, they also knew that convincing him otherwise was a fool's errand.

Jesse and Jim had insisted on going because Jesse was strangely keen on not letting Jaden out of his sight. Syrus and Alexis and Lia to an extent had all witnessed Jaden going silent and strange during his duel with the Sacred Beasts, and had already accepted it as a part of their (possibly sporting a case of MPD) friend. However, none of them had been overly exposed to the strange Jaden that had gone to face the Light, Alexis riding the high of her new-found ability and Syrus preoccupied with the strange _Lia_ who'd shown up out of nowhere. Jesse alone had had his little chat with Jaden in the woods, and he would never to his dying day forget the way Jaden had looked under the gathering storm, Amethyst Cat shakily staring into his eyes as he told her that he knew her pain and called her by a name not even Jesse knew.

Jim was tagging along because he was Jim, and he wasn't about to let Jaden wander off into a desert full of things that wanted to eat him. Jim was a natural big brother. Being the oldest of the group, he easily slid into the role of protector, watching out for the younger members like he'd been doing it his entire life. Besides that, he wanted to put some distance between his family and his new friends. It was evident that Shirley liked Lia as much as she liked Jaden (which was a lot, considering the way the reptile had been accepting food offers from the boy since the day they met, and was actually content to be near him), and equally, if not more, evident that Lia did not share the feelings. It hurt Jim a little, but he comforted himself by reminding himself that it wasn't necessarily Shirley herself that Lia was rejecting; the girl would feel the same about any crocodile that happened to cross her path. Still, once they'd finished the ordeal and gotten back to Duel Academy, Jim was going to sit Lia down and try and help her with her phobia. He'd like to be able to bring Shirley into the same room without the Ra girl freaking out.

Axel came along because he was born and bred for the sort of adventure they were going on, but also because he felt he had something to prove. He'd apologized to Syrus again, and while the other boy had forgiven him, Axel still felt bad. He'd let the orders change him, which was something both his parents had warned him against. He'd let them down, and that stung worse than anything. Even more, he'd hurt a member of what was shaping up to be a good group of people. They didn't have his training or his skills, but they were strong and they were dedicated, and those were two things Axel always admired, not matter what the circumstances. They were the sort of people who looked after their own once that person had been accepted into their club. They were the sort of people his parents would definitely approve of, even if they were rough around the edges. They were the sort of people he'd like to give his back to, if he could prove himself to them.

Why Adrian was going, no one really knew. They all assumed that he'd just happened to be there and in spite of a head injury, he wanted to be helpful. They'd accepted because Adrian had shown clear smarts before, figuring out the Bio Bands and where Viper was hiding, and really, the more the merrier. It would help to have another set of hands on the trip.

Surprisingly enough, Syrus opted to stay behind. Not that he would've been allowed to go with them. His side was still cut up, and while he was on the mend, no one wanted him to reopen the gash. More than that, Syrus was a loose cannon in a fight. The Beasts had done a number on him, and, as evidence by his fight with Axel, when he felt trapped or threatened, he lashed out. The problem was, everything else shut down completely. There was no friend and foe. There was no cerebral thinking. He just lost it, and out in the desert, he'd be a liability.

He acknowledged this, and volunteered to stay behind before anyone could awkwardly ask him to, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

He'd pulled Jesse aside soon after to have a quiet talk with him.

" Listen Jesse. You know as well as I do that Jaden's a martyr. He's just looking for a cause noble enough. No." He held up a hand to stop Jesse's protests. " I know he's not looking to get himself killed, but you can't say that he won't do it if he sees a noble enough reason to. Look at first year. Look at what he did to get me back. He went in, _alone_, to demand the Beasts give me back. He's got no self-preservation instincts."

" So whaddya want me ta do?"

Syrus' gray eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

" Keep an eye on him. Stop him from doing anything stupid. Bring him _back_, in one piece preferably."

" Sahrus..."

" I'd do it myself, but..." He touched his side briefly. Jesse nodded, taking one of Syrus' hands in both of his.

" Sahrus, Ah promise ta bring Jaden back safe an' sound. Ya have mah word."

" Okay." A pause. " Could you let go of my hands now? You know, before Lia leans around the corner with a camera clutched in her hands?"

So it was just hours before the departure, and Lia sat on the edge of Blair's hospital bed, watching Jaden gathering things he'd take with him.

" You're absolutely, one hundred percent fou." She said with a sigh. Jaden didn't even bother looking up to answer.

" And what does that say about the others?"

" Oh, they're crazy too. But you were the first to volunteer, and so that makes you the king of crazy."

He stopped puttering around. There was silence.

" I can't let her die, Koneko-chan. I just can't."

" No." Lia leaned back on her hands to look at the ceiling. " I suppose you can't. You wouldn't be _you_ if you could."

" Was that a compliment?" He smiled.

" It was an observation." His smile dropped. She gave in. " And a compliment."

He beamed at her again.

" So what's this thing Axel's rigging up?"

" He's taking our hand-held virtual notepads and rewiring them to act as GPS's."

" Uh-huh." Lia raised a brow. " And _how_ does he know how to do that?"

" Don't know, didn't ask." Jaden shoved something else into a bag he'd rustled up from somewhere. " I was just glad that he _could_."

" This place always seems to attract the weirdos." The girl on the bed mused. " There's you with your winning streak, Zane with his...Zane-ness." She paused to shudder. " And now Axel with his...badass-itude."

Jaden shot her a look over his shoulder.

" Are you saying that none of us can be badass?"

She smirked right back.

" Not at his level, no. Have you seen the way that boy moves? Like a friggin' ninja."

" You're hurting me deeply."

" Somehow, I think you'll survive."

" I'd better." He pulled the bag closed and looked back. His eyes found the flushed cheeks of the panting girl. " Who else is gonna save Blair?"

He held his gaze steady for a minute, not blinking.

" Hey." Lia slid off the bed to sit on the floor in front of him. She put a hand on his shoulder. He kept staring at Blair, so she moved the hand to cup his cheek and make him look at her.

" Listen to me, Jaden. It'll be fine. It will all be fine."

" How do you know that? He said, his voice breaking over the last word.

" Because I can't let myself not. Because I know better."

" How?"

" Guy I met once told me something. He was kinda an idiot, but he had a good heart, and he was the sort of man I could see being a hero, down the road." She smiled very softly at the boy in front of her.

" What did he say?"

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his, closing her eyes.

" He told me that the game is never over until the last card is played."

Jaden took a sharp intake of breath, but Lia didn't open her eyes. She felt her cheeks start to burn.

" I didn't understand him then. I thought he was some stupid little punk who didn't really know how the world worked. But..."

" But?" Jaden prompted. Both of them were whispering.

" But I was wrong." Lia finished, pulling back to look at her friend. " I was so, so wrong. That guy might've been an idiot, but he was strong and good and had the heart of a lion. He was the kinda man who could be a hero, who could rise up and meet the odds, no matter what they were."

She leveled him with a serious look.

" He was the kinda of man I could put my faith in, and as long as he was there, then I knew everything would be alright."

Jaden swallowed.

" Sounds like you and this guy were close." He said shakily.

" He's the greatest friend I've ever had, and I've been blessed to have him in my life." Lia pulled Jaden close. " I'd follow him anywhere."

Then she leaned forward and pressed one kiss to each of his cheeks.

" Pour la bonne chance." She said as she moved away. Jaden stayed on the floor, touching his cheeks. Lia pulled herself back up onto the bed, reaching over to brush some of the hair out of Blair's eyes. A comfortable silence fell over them.

The door to the infirmary whooshed open, and Jesse stood, bag packed and duel disk at the ready.

" Good ta go, Jay?" He asked, entering. The boy in red nodded, and got off the floor.

" Yup. Let's do this." He slid his disk onto his arm.

" Ah gotta say, Ah'm still surprised Lexi didn't insist on comin'."

" She said we needed someone with a little kick to man the fort." Jaden laughed. " And Bastian is too busy with his equations, and Sy is still hurt."

" Guess it's up ta us." Jesse touched his deck. " Me an' mah beasts are ready fo' a fahght."

" Let's focus on getting the stuff without a hassle, okay?"

On the bed, Lia snorted. Both boys turned to look at her.

" Good luck. Have you _seen_ some of the shit out there? You guys are nuts."

" Now darlin', don't go sayin' that. We'll think ya don't believe in us." Jesse teased.

" No, I believe in you. You're all so crazy that this _has _to work."

" So basically, yo' sayin' this is a 'Captain Jack' scenario."

" Depends on which Captain Jack."

" The 'If I wasn't mad, this would probably never work' Captain Jack."

" Ah, Sparrow. Yes, that sums up this situation nicely. It might work even better if you started downing rum."

" Believe me, darlin', when we get back ta school, Ah'm gonna drink mayself inta a stupor."

" The Blue Dorm will help you." Jaden said with a laugh. " They'll use anything as an excuse to party."

Jesse snickered, but looked pleased.

" You laugh now," his friend teased, " but they had a 'Crowler was too sick to teach class today' party early last year."

" Not to mention the 'this ice cream in the back of the fridge needs to get eaten' party in first year." Lia nodded at Jesse incredulous look. " I kid you not."

" Sounds lahke fun." He laughed. Clapping Jaden on the shoulder, he headed for the door. " We'd better get goin', Jay. See ya, Kitten!"

" Don't call me that!" Lia shouted after him, pouting. When she felt she'd made her point, she let her gaze settle on Jaden, who was still standing in front of her. He gestured towards Blair with his chin.

" Take care of her."

" I will."

" And eat something. Lexi said you've been skipping meals."

Lia smiled weakly.

"My appetite's been crap."

He looked at her sternly.

" _Eat._"

" I will, I will. Get going, your raiding party awaits you."

He made for the door. In the doorway, though, he paused.

" Lia?"

" Yes?"

" Take care of yourself, too."

A pause, and then, just as he turned into the hall, he heard her voice call out to him.

" That goes double for you, dumbass."

He smiled all the way down the hall.

* * *

While writing this, I realized that ther has been a distinct lack of cute, fluffy, Jaden/Lia interaction. With so many other things going on, with so much shit hitting the fan, with so mane questions that have yet to be answered, there hasn't really been time for these two to just sit down and talk. Jaden's been dealing with his own stuff, and Lia...well, Lia's not been there all the time, now has she?

So here is just the two of them. Here is Jaden and Lia being Jaden and Lia, her snarking and sniping to try and hide the fact that she's scared out of her mind about him, and Jaden reassuring her at every turn. And then, just like magic, they switch, and Jaden is the insecure one while Lia has to raise his spirits. They trade roles back and forth and make each other feel better with just a word and a glance.

I wish I could go on a whole long rant about them like I'm wont to do about Slapshipping, but the thing is, Goldshipping, at its core, is about something that I haven't explored yet. To go on a rant about it would bring up massive spoilers that I feel will be best revealed in the story (particularly Part Two, whose name is starting to be formed). I can't tell you guys how their relationship works because there are things about their relationship that you don't know yet, but when you do, will make a whole lotta sense.

The best way I can put it is that Lia is loyal to Jaden. Unswayingly, unbendingly, impossibly loyal. Anyone else who she loves, even with all her heart, will not have the same loyalty she has to Jaden. He, and he alone, is her king.

But there. Some Goldshipping interaction. Please try and enjoy it, because that is as healthy as it is going to get for a good, long while. There are some mountains that have to be climbed, some secrets that have to be revealed and, yes, some journeys that have to be taken before these two can sit down, look each other in the eye, and be able to just be together.

The other big thing in this chapter is the idea of the Slacker Club growing up. I'm fascinated with the idea of liminal figures. The concept of something being an in between, neither what it was nor what it will be, is just really cool to me. I enjoy trying to bring the theory of liminality into my works, and I think it really applies to this genre of anime, where the heroes are always liminal figures. Teenagers, who are not children, but are not adults.

The thing is, I just made my characters adults. They've crossed the line in the sand, so to speak.

But, my beloved readers, the question now is: Did I make them take that step too early?

And if so, then what are the concequences of that? What happens when someone grows up too fast?

And for anyone whom I've explained to why I believe that adults are useless in these sorts of stories: Let's see if they still believe in miracles, shall we?

MoS


	30. Questions

Warnings: Slapshipping.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

**Year Three Part One: Journeys**

* * *

" _Hey."_

_Lia looked up from where she was bent over a book. From where he was leaning on the side of the table, Aster waved._

" _Oh, hey." She nodded, and returned to the book. Aster pouted at her inattention._

" _So." He pulled up a chair. " What's with all the books?"_

"_Research."_

" _**No**__." He fake gasped. " And here I thought you were just entertaining a sudden interest in," he picked up one of the books, " '__**Ancient Alphabets and Undiscovered Languages**__'."_

_He raised a brow at her._

" _Lia, what did you guys do?"_

" _Why do you always assume we did something?" She turned away from her book. Aster smirked._

" _Because I know you so well." She flushed a little._

" _It's just got to do with the Bio Bands." Glancing at his wrist, it was her turn to raise a brow. " Which I can see you've managed to avoid."_

" _Long, hard talk with Viper." Aster shuddered at the memory. " Lovely man, I think Sarina should have him over for brunch some time."_

" _How did you convince him?"_

" _A lot of explaining about how I was in the pros, and the grading system really wouldn't work, and also that it was gaudy, and the newspapers would jump on it."_

" _They are kinda ugly, aren't they?" Li mused._

" _So what's this thing?" Aster pointed to the symbol she was pouring over._

" _We found it on the Bio Bands, just under the blue jewel part." She started flipping pages again. " We're trying to figure out what it means, but so far, no one's found anything."_

" _Hmmm." He leaned over her shoulder to get a better look. She told herself the brush of his breath against the exposed skin of her neck didn't send goosebumps downs her arms._

" _You ever seen it?"_

" _Why ask me?"_

" _Oh yes, why ask the guy with a university education?. Whatever was I thinking?"_

_He smirked at her._

" _Sorry babe." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. " Never seen it before."_

" _Quit being weird." She batted the hand away. Aster frowned slightly, staring at her ear._

" _So what's this I hear about Adrian Gecko sending you flowers?"_

" _Omigod, what is __**wrong**__ with that boy?" Lia said without preamble, throwing the book down. She's clearly been looking for an excuse to rant about what had happened._

" _So what did he do?" Aster pulled his chair around to face her._

" _Okay, so I come into the classroom, right? I just go to my desk to sit down, and there are these...__**things**__...on it."_

" _Things?"_

" _Jessica and Miriam were all like, 'Oh, that' so awesome and sweet, you got flowers!'"_

" _And you didn't share their sentiments."_

" _There were things on my desk when things were not meant to be there!" She threw her hands up. " No, I didn't share their sentiments!"_

" _So what did you do?"_

" _Well, I __**tried**__ to ignore them, but the two idiots kept going on, and on and __**on**__ about it!" Lia ran a hand through her hair. " I was ready to chuck the things in the first waste basket I could find!"_

" _So why didn't you?" _

_Lia went bright red, her heart hammering._

" _I uh...it seemed rude."_

" _Since when has that bothered you?"_

" _Someone...spent some money on them. I was just gonna foist 'em on Mindy or something once I got out of class. She's always complaining that the room needs for flowers."_

" _So why doesn't she buy any?"_

" _She says it's not the same as someone giving them to you."_

" _No." He laughed. He had a nice laugh, Lia supposed, when it was honest and gentle. " I guess not."_

" _So anyway, I pick the things up at the of the lesson, and I'm planning on running right?"_

" _Right."_

" _Well, I get out the door, and there he is! Standing there like some kinda creeper! Just waiting for me."_

" _Adrian?"_

" _Gave me the chills! He's so...so...__**smarmy!**__"_

" _..."_

" _Don't laugh dumbass! It's a word!"_

" _I'm not laughing at the word. I'm laughing at you __**using **__the word."_

" _Don't mock my vocabulary, Phoenix."_

" _Wouldn't dream of it." He grinned roguishly at her, similar to Atticus but not. The joking nature of Atticus' grins was missing from his face, his eyes teasing in some respects but deadly serious in others. When Atticus grinned at her like that, she felt like he was teasing her, like he would give that grin to anyone who gave him amble opportunity._

_When Aster gave her that grin, she felt like she was the only person in the world. It was simultaneously the scariest and most wonderful thing she'd ever felt._

" _So what did you do?"_

_She blinked._

" _What?"_

" _About Adrian." He elaborated._

" _I just...god, it was so stupid!"_

" _What?"_

" _I just, like, stood there. Like I didn't have a clue. He was all smirky and smiley and trying so hard to be suave and cool and...and...Gah! It pisses me off just thinking about it!"_

" _So not a good memory then?" He looked incredibly pleased, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why._

" _Oh god, no. I ran to my room and took a shower." She shuddered. " Just him touching me made my skin feel all crawly, yuck!"_

" _He touched you?" Aster suddenly knelt close, face dark with thunder. " Where?"_

" _Huh? Calm down, he didn't do anything."_

" _Lia." His voice was hard. " Where did he touch you?"_

" _He just fiddled with my hair and put a flower behind my ear, that's all." She said, perturbed. Aster's scowl didn't dissipate._

" _That's all." She repeated._

_A hand came up and started pushing the hair out of her eyes, curling it back over her ear. Lia went red again, but didn't try to slap it away. The look in Aster's eyes told her not to, begged her to let him have that much. She instead sat, very still, not daring to breath as those blue, blue eyes peered down into her._

" _Just like this?" He asked, stroking a curl carefully off of her face._

" _Yeah." When had they started whispering? Why were they whispering? Granted, yes, they were in a library, but they were up several floors in a section that no one was going to check. They could afford to speak in normal pitches._

_Aster frowned, his hand resting on her ear, his fingers locked behind it. Suddenly, the idea to try and do some reading in some dusty, dark corner of the library where no one would bother her didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Aster was far too close, the walls behind him pushing him into her. The soft sunlight from the setting star was filtering through the windows, but it speared the space above their heads, making particles of dust glitter. The air felt hot and stifling, and she couldn't catch her breath. Her heart was hammering in her chest._

" _Hmm." He paused, observing her. Lia fought to keep from gulping, though her throat and mouth suddenly felt very dry._

" _What?" Her voice cracked, and she coughed to try and cover the slip-up. " What is it?"_

_There was a silence, heavier than any she'd ever experienced before. _

_Then Aster swooped down, and something warm and soft was pressed to her face. She felt his breath lingering on her cheek, his nose brushing her ear, but it was all acknowledged at a distance. Time stopped moving and hung suspended as Aster's lips were gently pressed to her cheekbone. The world faded away, peeled back to reveal a small bubble where only the two of them existed. Her brain fizzled out, sparks flying everywhere as some part of her desperately tried to reactivate it._

_She failed._

_Aster pulled back, looking exceedingly pleased with himself._

" _There." He smiled, a genuine, sweet smile that was a hundred times harder on her than his roguish one. _

" _Huh?" She squeaked, not even having the effort to reach up and touch her face. She could feel it burning all the same._

" _Now you won't be thinking about Adrian." Was his satisfied answer._

" You must really miss him, huh?"

Lia jumped. Alexis leaned against one of the rocks they'd dragged to the front entrance. Lia, who sitting and staring out at the horizon, blinked at the sudden appearance of her friend.

" What?"

Alexis nodded her chin downwards. Lia followed the line, and had to suppress a squeak. Her fingers had twisted themselves into the chain of her necklace again. They were carefully stroking the crescent moon.

" I-I...!" She stuttered. " W-What are you talking about? Who am I missing?"

Alexis' grin grew.

" C'mon." She pushed off the rock and walked over to take a seat next to the girl. "It's obvious."

" What is?"

That smirk was starting to get on Lia's nerves.

" Aster gave you that, didn't he?"

Lia didn't say anything, but the rush of blood to her face told her that she didn't need to.

" Thought so." The blonde made herself comfortable. Above them, the three suns hung in the sky, alien and strange. Somewhere, from the recesses of the school, they could hear the grumbles of students. Those were growing more and more restless each day, and neither of them knew what to do. Lia herself had none of the raw power and fortitude that Alexis could command. At best, she could clock one of the malcontents over the head with a heavy book from the library.

" How...How so?" She couldn't stop herself from stuttering. Traitorously, her fingers refused to leave the chain alone.

" You mean _besides_ the way you keep fawning over it?" Alexis teased. She laughed at the disgruntled expression on the younger girl's face.

" I don't _fawn_ over anything."

Alexis kept laughing.

" Sure you don't."

Lia sniffed and turned back to the empty sky and the emptier landscape. It brought her no comfort; if anything, it only served to make her more depressed. But it meant that she wasn't looking into Alexis' knowing eyes, which seemed to understand her better than she understood herself.

" Oh, don't get so huffy." She was patted on the arm. " You do fawn over that necklace, and I think you know it. You haven't taken it off once."

" It was a present and it would be rude not to wear it." Lia said, trying to maintain her dignity.

" Lia, honey, _you haven't taken it off_."

" I like it, okay?!" She exploded before she could stop herself. " It's pretty and nice and I've never gotten a gift from a boy who wasn't family!"

" Jaden and Sy and Atty send you gifts for your birthday." Alexis pointed out. Lia rolled her eyes.

" That's _them._ This is different." She fiddled with the charm.

" How come?"

" No reason."

" Oh c'mon! That's not right. There has to be a reason."

" Well, there isn't."

" So they why haven't you taken that thing off? You're always wearing it, you touch it all the time, you get this big smile on your face whenever you do..."

" Look, it's...it's just...it's nice."

"And the presents the guys get you aren't nice?"

" No, they are, but..."

" But what? What's so special about this gift?"

" Because Aster got it for me, okay?!"

The second she said it, Lia wished she could take the words back. Saying that sort of thing out loud had been something she'd been avoiding since the end of the previous year. She hadn't even said those sorts of things mentally. A line had been drawn in the sand and she was struggling not to cross it, feeling scared. The abyss was open before her, a long way down with no guarantee of a soft landing. In her heart of hearts, she knew why she loved the necklace so much, but to acknowledge it would only lead down a path she wasn't sure she was ready to walk.

But the words were out in the open, and Alexis was looking far too satisfied with herself.

" Uh-huh. That's what I thought."

" Shut up." Lia said sullenly, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. The blonde next to her threw an arm over her shoulder.

" Quit sulking."

" I'm not."

" Yeah, you are. Quit it, okay? I'm not making fun of you."

" Yes you are." Lia said, completely sulkily. There was a moment of silence, for which Lia was thankful. Alexis had learned not to push her early in their friendship, but the previous year seemed to have wrecked that knowledge, leaving Alexis desperate for something cling to and Lia unwilling to give her even that. It had hurt more than she could ever put into words to have Alexis betray her, and while it was in the past, there were still dents in their relationship. Alexis had to learn patience all over again, to remember that sometimes, she had to let Lia come to her with the problem, not insist that the younger girl tell her. She had to put aside her desire to fix everything the moment it appeared in favour of rebuilding the trust between them.

They'd had their heart to heart; in the sleeping quiet of Lia's house, half hidden under sheets and not putting any lights on for fear of ruining the mood, the two had buckled down and _talked._ For hours upon hours, until the first streaks of dawn had started to turn the sky a misty gray, they'd talked. Until everything as out in open, until the wounds they both carried had finally had the festering infection had been washed away and finally, _finally_, they could start to heal.

Alexis relearned that patience was the key to being Lia's friend.

" Can I ask a stupid question?"

Lia refused to look at her friend, keeping her eyes instead firmly trained on the sand.

" Shoot."

Lia took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to ask without making a fool of herself.

" Lex..."

The blonde looked at her out of corner of her eye.

" ...Am I dating Aster Phoenix?"

Alexis started. Of all the things she'd expected Lia to ask, that clearly wasn't it. Lia was determined not to look at anything but the horizon, her cheeks flaming, her eyes narrowed.

" Lia, if you have to ask..." Alexis said slowly, but Lia was shaking her head.

" I know, I know that. I know he's never asked, and I've never agreed to anything..."

" But?" The older girl prompted, curious. Lia's fingers played frantically with the chain. She bit her lip.

" But...I mean, I _know_ we're not...not really, but there are times...I feel like...like there's something going on between us."

" What kind of something?"

" Something...something..." Lia ran a hand through her hair, trying to find the words. " Something that's...just us, you know? Something that feels...exclusive."

" Exclusive?" Alexis' brow furrowed. " ...Does Aster feel the same way?"

" I don't know!" Lia twisted her fingers more in the chain. " I just...Sometimes, I see people looking at him or read about something someone said about him in a magazine, and I just keep thinking, 'Who are these people? What do they know about him? They can't possibly know him the way _I _do!'...I...I've never felt that way about anyone before."

" Not even Bastian?" Her companion said carefully. Lia shook her head

" With him...With Bastien...I just wanted him to look at me. I wanted him to look at me and see me. Aster..." She swallowed. " ...Aster already does that. He...He sees me. He's never _not_ seen me."

" Lia?"

" I just...with him, it feels like there's...something. Something that's totally us, that doesn't exist between anyone else."

She turned despairing eyes on her friend.

" Lexi, am I his girlfriend?"

" Do you want to be?" Alexis asked seriously. Lia bit her lip.

" I...I don't...know."

" Lia, how you feel about him?"

" I-I don't..." She started shaking her head again, trying to clear it. " I can't really tell. I just...He was so arrogant and I tried so hard to hate him but..." She stared off in the distance.

" He understands. He gets it...all the things I hate about myself, he sees. And he hasn't gone running. He just...This thing that's between us, it scares me, Lex."

" Is that all? It just scares you?"

" No." A tear escaped. " No, it scares me because of how much I like it."

Then she leapt to her feet, her heart hammering wildly.

" I've got to go, it's my turn to watch Blair. Bye Lexi!"

She practically ran for the door, not once looking back. Falling against the rocks, Alexis heaved a sigh. Sharing time was over and it was time to be patient again, she noted. Either way, she wasn't allowed to leave. There had to be at least one Duelist present when an Academic was on guard duty, and she didn't know if Lia's relief was coming any time soon. The girl might've gone completely off schedule in her haste to get away from the subject.

" Make sure to eat something!" Alexis called after the figure that was disappearing down the hall, aware that, for the moment, it was the best she could do.

* * *

As Alexis watched Lia run and Lia herself ran from the epiphany that had almost come over her, two Obelisk Blue students lay writhing on the ground by one of the empty stairwell. Their unconsciousness was a blessing, because had they been awake and aware, their screams would have echoed out into the desert.

At the top of the stairs, stood the diminutive figure of Marcel Bonaparte, a cape scrounged up from somewhere hanging over his shoulders and an uncharacteristically wicked look in his eyes. He was holding out his left hand, which had been replaced with a clawed, scaly thing that was beginning to glow darkly in the light of the halls. A dark mass seeped out of it and surrounded the teenagers on the floor. They began to toss their heads, nightmares flashing before their closed eyes.

" _Just sit back and relax, boys._" Yubel crooned in a mock comforting voice. She pressed deeper into the minds of her victims, pulling at memories as she went, rearranging things to suit her own ends. When she finally found the love of dueling that had driven them to Duel Academy in the first place, she grinned.

And thrust her clawed hand into the very center, bleeding black out into it and beginning her reprogramming.

" _And leave the rest to me._"

* * *

So yeah. Yubel. And greetings from farther north than I was yesterday. I don't have a lot of time to post right now, but please enjoy this chapter for what it is. See you tomorrow!

MoS


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